THE Jamaica Netball Association’s (JNA) Scotiabank-sponsored netball nursery is set to take off as the local governing body prepares to extend the Kingston and St Andrew-based programme to other parishes, starting in Clarendon and St James.

“We’ll be replicating the nursery programme as it is in Kingston in those parishes,” JNA president Marva Bernard told the Observer.

She said she had already met with St James netball boss Eglan Richards and Clarendon counterpart Everton Annakie about plans for implementing the programme in their parishes.

“We’ll be offering the financial support once they have come back with an outline,” Bernard said.

She told the Observer their outline would need to mirror the holistic and netball aspects of the programme, with blueprints for junior umpires programme as well.

“The umpires programme is very near and dear to us… we have told the two associations that the umpires have to be part of the curriculum,” Bernard said.

Campion High School student Shaneil May is so far the youngest umpire in the country, having started the programme at age 12.

May has since graduated and has been officiating in national league matches, including the recent Supreme Ventures ‘C’ League final.

“We’ve just added Donovan Vincent who is the holder of a theoretical Jamaica Umpires Award and he is working with Dorothy Hobson and Yvonne Kong to come up with a template for the junior programme,” Bernard said.

The local body boss said the aim of the nursery programme, which was started through a $12-million sponsorship from Scotiabank three years ago, was “to be a constant feeder to help children enjoy netball at that age as well as to ensure that skills are properly taught, not only netball but life skills”.

The programme, which is aimed at players under 13 years old, on a rotational basis feeds the Under-16, Under 21, and eventually the senior squads.

She added that several members of the first batch were part of Jamaica’s team which won the Jean Pierre Under-16 Caribbean Championships in Barbados in April.

“(And) we report to Scotiabank quarterly on how we are using the money that they give us,” she stated.

Annakie told the Observer that following the meeting last weekend, a project manager had been assigned who would help design Clarendon’s approach to the programme.