PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) Marva Bernard is encouraged by the exposure of local players in the highly competitive ANZ Netball Championships.

The Championship, globally recognised as the top professional netball league, is a competition held annually within the early months of the year between franchise teams from Australia and New Zealand.

Fourth-ranked Jamaica currently has top goal-shooters Romelda Aiken and Jhaniele Fowler playing in that competition, which precludes both from representing the Sunshine Girls in their home series versus world number three England in a month’s time.

The JNA president, though noting that both women will be dearly missed, countered that their stint in such a competitive and professional-oriented league will boost their earnings as well as personal development.

“They go down there and they have to have professional attitude to do the work they are doing. So it’s a bit unfortunate we don’t have them for some major encounters with the top teams but we are happy for the exposure they are getting,” she told the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange yesterday.

She added: “We are happy for the fact that they are earning and also for the message it is sending that netball is a viable option for people to earn a living and be able to support their families from playing a game. They would not be able to earn that money from playing netball in Jamaica.”

The local boss did, however, have one condition for netballers who get the opportunity to ply their trade on the overseas circuit.

“I really encourage players to play overseas, providing they give us a commitment — like those who have gone — to be available to play for their country at the end of any such assignment,” she reasoned.

The association announced the desire to structure the country’s netball and to inaugurate a local semi-professional tournament designed to provide stable salary packages, improve the standard of competition and to raise the profile of the sport.

The JNA’s High Performance director, Maureen Hall, shared with the forum that some teams have plans in place to encourage their top players to stay home when preparing for major championships.

“England has a plan to prevent their players from the ANZ League. None of our players are going to play in the ANZ but if you are going to take away players’ options to earn a living then you’d have to retain (contract) them. We don’t have that kind of clout. We can’t tell Romelda and Janiele Fowler (to not go),” she said.

Hall added that the situation does come with a silver lining.

“It provides the opportunity for the next level of shooters to go and say we don’t have Jhaniele and Romelda so it’s our opportunity to shine. Their absence also means development for the other players trying to make a name,” said the former player and national coach

Hall targeted weaknesses in the current local club infrastructure, which she feels, falls short in laying the foundation to properly challenge the might of the top three-ranked New Zealand, Australia, and England.

“The only competitive game you might get is at the final. So we have players who play week in week out and they don’t know how to compete on a daily basis. We are competing with teams from New Zealand, Australia and England. Those players are playing in the NZ league who for 13, 14 weeks per year in tough matches. They know (how it feels) to be down, how to compete, how to deal with pressure and all sort of things which our players are not getting,” she said.