U21 netball coach calls for investment in development

The importance of building on the strengths of their last tournament and eliminating some of the weaknesses have been cited by Annett Daley, head coach of Jamaica’s under-21 netball team as key areas for focus as Netball Jamaica looks to ensure strong performances at the youth and senior levels in the future.

The young Sunshine Girls finished fifth at the recent Netball World Youth Cup, with defeats to eventual winners Australia, at the quarterfinal stage, and eventual third-place finishers England in the group stage.

The relatively young team includes 18- and 19-year-olds and was impacted in their build-up to being national representatives by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, a financial crunch, which resulted in less than desirable preparation in the run-up to the World Cup.

Development programmes

Speaking with The Gleaner shortly after returning from host country Gibraltar, Daley was very clear on areas she feels need to be addressed.

“Well, I am going to leave most of this conversation to the president, but definitely, we have to look back at our development programmes, the under-14s, the under-16s, the under-21s. You know that it takes cash to care, and it is important that we get the support in order to prepare the girls adequately. When the girls went to the qualifiers, for example, the coaches did not get enough time with them, and then when they came back, some of the girls didn’t return, and we were starting again from scratch, basically. So you could say that the girls were training from last October when the other countries had been training for four years. So we have to ensure that in our developmental programme, the girls will go through the process, and as a result, will be able to compete,” Daley said.

Daley also heaped praise on the team for responding well to the demands of the coaching staff.

“... At any time, I could call on different players to come on court, and that was important because we had a few injuries on spot. The doctor (Dr Michelle Holt) and the physio (Captain Oriana Blackwood of the Jamaica Defence Force) were excellent. I want to commend them, but I will say the captain led her troops well with her performance on court and also off-the-court issues.

Team captain Roxonna McLean echoed some of the sentiments as she looked to the future of her team.

“ ... We are a very young set of girls, and I think that netball is always here for us, so it’s just for us to continue to play and just to get stronger and stronger,” McLean said.

McLean, who plays in the goalkeeper position, stressed the importance of the chemistry the team built while representing the country.

“It was a great experience. The culture is very warm, the people are welcoming, and it was good to be in a different part of the world for the first time. From a leader’s perspective, I think our performance was pretty great. I don’t think that the position we placed is a testament to our performance because I think that we really went out there, and, you know, played our hearts out, and I am extremely proud of our performance.”

The Moneague Teachers’ College student athlete was happy with the way the girls supported each other during the tournament.

“It was not really hard to balance (being captain and playing) because as I said, I have a very strong group of girls that support me, and my coach is always there along with the management team,” McLean said.

Australia lifted the Netball World Youth Cup title after defeating New Zealand, with England finishing in third place.