Six feet tall is an impressive height for a girl, but not as impressive as the trail Khadija ’Bunny’ Shaw has blazed as a professional footballer. Khadija was born in the nation’s old capital – Spanish Town. She earned the moniker ‘ Bunny’ from her older brother Kentardo because of her love for carrots. At fourteen (14), she showed the country her skills when she played for Jamaica at the senior level.
Bunny played her first two years of junior college at Eastern Florida State College where she earned honours for her skills on the field. In 2017 she transferred to the University of Tennessee and was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year in 2018.
In 2019 Bunny turned professional when she signed a two-year contract with Bordeaux Women’s Football Team, based in Bordeaux, France. The Club currently plays in The Division 1 Feminine, the highest division of women’s football in France. Bunny’s goal-scoring run and general performance earned her the Player of the Month twice in October 2020 and January 2021 when she helped Bordeaux to impressive victories against its rivals. She ended her second season with 22 goals and seven (7) assists in 20 matches and was named top goal scorer, earning a Place on the Trophees FFF D1 Feminine 20-21 Team Of The Year.
In 2021, Manchester City, England signed Bunny from Bordeaux on a three-year contract. She scored her first hat trick for the club in a (6-0) FA (Football Association) Cup win against Leicester City, and was the joint top scorer of the 2021-22 FA Women’s League Cup. She also claimed a Winner’s Medal when Manchester City defeated Chelsea (3-1) in the League Cup Final.
Bunny has played internationally; in 2015 against the Dominican Republic in an Olympic qualifying game, scoring twice in a (6-0) victory. And in 2019, at 17 years of age, she was Captain of the Reggae Girls team that qualified for the FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations) Women’s World Cup. Jamaica’s team repeated history in July, when once again, under Bunny’s captaincy, Jamaica beat Haiti to qualify for the World Cup in 2023.
TRAILBLAZER : Someone who goes where no one else has gone before.