Netball Jamaica (NJ) President Karen Rosen Baugh is confident that the Under-21 Sunshine Girls will make a strong showing at the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup (NWYC) in Gibraltar.

The NWYC will take place from September 19th to 28th at two main competition venues — the Tercentenary Sports Hall and the Europa Sports Park.

Rosen Baugh believes that the players are focused, ready, and determined to do well.

“The team is in high spirits. Most of the players departed on Wednesday, another group leaves on Friday, and then we will have the three English players who will join them in London. I think they are focused, ready and determined to represent Jamaica well,” Rosen Baugh told the Jamaica Observer.

She said that the team has been preparing since January, with a strategic and measured approach under the guidance of coaches Annett Daley and Nardia Hanson.

“As you know, they have been preparing intensively from January of this year. We played South Africa Under-21 in that series in January where the team was just starting to come together.

“So the preparation has been pretty intense since then and very strategic and measured based on the work of caches Annett Daley and Nardia Hanson. So we think we gave it our all and prepared them as well as we could,” Rosen Baugh explained.

The young Sunshine Girls have drawn Pool C and will play alongside England, Tonga, Wales, and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the quarter-finals.

Jamaica will open their campaign against Tonga on Sunday, September 21 at 3:00 am (Jamaica time). They will next play Sri Lanka on Monday, September 22, then Wales on Tuesday, September 23, and then close out the preliminary round against powerhouse England on Wednesday, September 24.

Despite the tough competition, Rosen Baugh expects Jamaica to be one of the top two teams emerging from the pool.

“Well, there are some unknowns in the group but we’re expecting and hoping to be one of the top two teams emerging from our group,” Rosen Baugh said.

“We have England, we have Wales, we have Tonga, and we have Sri Lanka, and so we are expecting and hoping to be one of the two coming out of the group. But you know, the ball is round; they just have to go out there and play their game on the day,” Rosen Baugh said.

Squad — Roxonna McLean (captain), Shaqwan Hamilton (vice-captain), Jada Ricketts, Kaydeen Gordon, Nickisha Powell, Jessica Chaplain, Deandra Edwards, Fentonian Henry, Evelyn Smith,Tianna Reid, Tori Akinrinlalo, and Azara Wilmot.

Reserves — De-Eziah Martin, Shanai Martin and twin sister Mali Akinrinlola.

ROSEN BAUGH… there are some unknowns in the group but we’re expecting and hoping to be one of the top two teams emerging from our group