NEWLY-APPOINTED head coach of the national senior netball team, Sasher-Gaye Henry expressed her happiness at being chosen to lead the Sunshine Girls team but was quick to point out that she is well aware that the job will not be an easy one.

Henry, 44, was unveiled as head coach of the Sunshine Girls team by Netball Jamaica’s president, Tricia Robinson, during a press conference at R Hotel in Kingston yesterday. This announcement marks a return to familiar territory for Henry who, in 2018, co-coached the national team alongside Marvette Anderson. The coaching duo led the team to a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Henry, with her wealth of experience both as player and coach, brings a unique perspective to the team. Her previous stint with the national squad showcased her ability to inspire and lead athletes to success on the international stage.

“It is an extremely big task but I am excited and I am humbled to know that I have been given this opportunity,” said Henry. “It is a big deal for me and it is going to require a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, and a lot of on- and off-the-court work to get us to where we want to go as a national team and as a country,” she said.

Henry highlighted that she is dedicated to the task ahead of her and, therefore, she along with her Assistant Coach Shawn Murdock will be working assiduously to ensure that the Sunshine Girls remain a powerhouse in netball on a global level.

“I am prepared, and I am very committed, and I am always a learner and so any opportunity that comes to develop my skills, I would definitely engage in it and so I am just ready for the task ahead,” she said.

The Sunshine Girls, who are currently ranked fourth in the world, won a bronze medal at the last Netball World Cup (NWC) held in Cape Town, South Africa, in August 2023. Henry asserted that it will require all hands on deck for the national senior team to do one better and reach the final of NWC in 2027.

“It is going to take a lot of support, because one of the biggest things for me is the support of sponsorship as we need to have sponsors on board. Netball is a big business, and for sponsors to come on it helps us to work better and to function better also to challenge for that gold medal in 2027,” she pointed out.

“The fact that eight of our girls are playing overseas in Australia, and they are playing at a very high standard, gives us a good standing in world netball because they can come back and share their experiences with the younger ones, and they can look up and emulate them,” Henry added.

Meanwhile, Robinson stated that the organisation is pleased with Henry’s appointment, given her experience which they are convinced will help move the national side forward.

“If you recall, she co-coached alongside Marvette Anderson and so she is not new to the position of leading the national team,” Robinson said. “I have all confidence in her because, several years later, there must be [added] lessons and her experience all around and so we are all very confident that, for our strategic vision for 2027 — which is to be the number one team in the world — she will take us there,” Robinson said.

“She does come with a lot of experience because she is a former player and she has coached the team before, and so she knows what it takes to lead the national team,” added the Netball Jamaica boss.

Henry, along with former Sunshine Girls Assistant Coach Annett Daley, were shortlisted for the position which became vacant after Connie Francis decided not to renew her contract with Netball Jamaica following Jamaica’s bronze-medal finish at the Netball World Cup last year.