Reggae Girlz forward Jody Brown is heading off to Lisbon where she will play for Portuguese giants Benfica.

The 22 year old has signed her first professional contract, a three year deal with the team which incidentally has the same name as her hometown club in Lime Hall, St. Ann.

“I am proud and honoured to sign my first professional contract with a big institution such as Benfica,” Brown wrote on her social media pages. “Being a professional player has always been my dream since I started playing in Jamaica.”

Brown made her senior Reggae Girlz debut in 2018 at age sixteen and has so far made 18 appearances, including at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and the 2023 edition in Australia & New Zealand, scoring 12 goals in the process.

Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts offered his personal congratulations. “This signing augurs well for Jody’s personal development and the development of the National team. Jody is a national treasure. She is young but very experienced and Benfica has done well to get her signature. I hope she scores countless goals.”

The former Florida State University standout will join national captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw in the UEFA Champions League next season.

She heads off early next month to meet up with her new team for pre-season training.