SINCE its establishment in the 1890s, with formal rules and regulations, netball has been largely a ball-sport of choice for women and girls played mostly in the Commonwealth of Nations, previously the British Empire.

And for as long as anyone can remember, netball and track/field athletics have been sports of choice for Jamaican women and girls.

Of all team sports, netball deserves most credit for keeping our young women and girls physically active, energised, and motivated across this country. That’s although basketball and women’s football are popular. In the latter case, global star Miss Khadija “Bunny” Shaw has played a trailblazing role.

Jamaica has high international recognition for its achievements in netball with its teams always very competitive and for decades the dominant force in the Caribbean. A drawback is that for all their highly respected skills and fiercely competitive spirit, our national netball teams have never reached the pinnacle ahead of traditional giants Australia and New Zealand.

Hence the huge buzz in the global netball fraternity in mid-August as Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls stunned defending champions and the globe’s top-rated team Australia 46-45 in the semi-final of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. A day later they had to be content with the silver medal after losing 48-56 to New Zealand in the final.

Yet, that landmark victory over Australia shed light on the possibilities, should Jamaica’s netball leaders, Government, sponsors, supporters and players get it all together and pull with might and main in the same direction.

So now the aim must be to not just compete well but to excel at the 2027 Netball World Cup set for Sydney, Australia, from August 25 to September 5. As always for Jamaican teams in any sport, an inadequacy of resources to facilitate preparation for competition is a reality.

For that reason the upcoming annual home and away Horizon Series between the Sunshine Girls and England Roses takes on added significance. Our reporter reminds us that the series, which is contested in honour of netball icons Jamaica’s Ms Molly Rhone and England’s Ms Jean Hornsby, has quickly developed into keen rivalry since its inception in 2024.

The national team is scheduled to leave for England on November 14 to prepare for games against the English at the Copper Box Arena in London on November 21 and 22. They return to Jamaica for two home matches against visiting England at the National Indoor Sports Centre in St Andrew on December 5 and 6.

Jamaica’s netball Head Coach Ms Sasher-Gaye Henry-Wright says preparations will be hindered to some extent since professionals abroad will join later than would be ideal. However, staff and players are doing the best they can.

“Training is going well… We’re really trying to intensify as much as we can in terms of physical preparation and also in terms of tactical preparation,” the head coach told our reporter.

Even if they do not overcome their English opponents in the upcoming contests, we are hopeful the Sunshine Girls’ performances will be such that sponsors are incentivised to go the extra mile ahead of next year’s World Cup.

This newspaper wishes our netballers all that’s good as they continue to carry the Jamaican flag high.