Connie Francis, head coach of Jamaica’s senior netball team, believes the Sunshine Girls have settled in beautifully in the African continent ahead of the 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup, and they, like any other team competing, have high hopes of winning it all.

The Vitality World Cup will be the 16th staging of the premier competition in international netball, contested every four years. The tournament is to be held from July 28 to August 6 at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Sunshine Girls are brimming with confidence after their historic silver medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, last August.

Though claiming the title of world champions is easier said than done, Francis is optimistic her team will play with zeal and show the world that they are a great lot.

“The ladies have settled in well to their new surroundings. It had been a lengthy travel to get here, so the girls had rested for a day before we went into camp. The flight was good, except for the delays getting to Cape Town,” Francis told the Jamaica Observer from the team’s base in Sun Square Hotel.

“In fact, camp had already begun with players arriving from Australia with our specialist coach Rob Right. After receiving treatment from a physiotherapist and a massage therapist, the ladies from [Jamaica] joined their teammates for what has been a really good camp thus far.

“The girls are doing strength training, court work, team bonding, and meeting with the coaches to get a clear understanding towards getting a medal. The girls are confident of leaving South Africa with a medal,” added Francis, a former player.

The Jamaicans, presently rated fourth in the world, are in Pool C with Sri Lanka, Wales, and host country South Africa.

They are to play Sri Lanka on Friday before facing Wales the next day and South Africa on Sunday.

“The mood in the camp is very good. This is a squad that has been playing together for approximately 10 years so I believe we have the experience, and the girls are eager to compete. These girls are very eager to return home with a medal because it has been 16 years and I believe now is the time,” she said.

Squad — Jhaniele Fowler (captain), Romelda Aiken, Shamera Sterling, Shimona Nelson, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Jodiann Ward, Latanya Wilson, Shanice Beckford, Rebekah Robinson, Khadijah Williams, Nicole Dixon-Rochester, Adean Thomas, Crystal Plummer, Kimone Shaw, and Abigail Sutherland.