Wanted: one experienced coach - Sunshine Girls captain urges Netball Jamaica to carefully consider next coach
Published:Friday | October 11, 2019 | 12:25 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
National senior netball team captain Jhaniele Fowler says Netball Jamaica (NJ) should employ an experienced professional coach to guide the Sunshine Girls forward as they look to regroup from their poor showing at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England, in July.
NJ are in the process of selecting new coaching staff for the Jamaican team after the contracts of head coach Marvette Anderson and her assistant, Winston Nevers, were not renewed after the tournament.
The Sunshine Girls finished fifth at the championships as they failed to make the semi-finals for the first time since 1995. Anderson and Nevers, who were both coaching at the championships for the first time, were heavily criticised by persons within the netball fraternity for what is said to be poor handling of the team during the tournament.
“We need to see coaches that are experienced at this level and coaches that can bring the team to another level of performance,” Fowler said.
OVERSEAS GUIDANCE
The 30-year-old says that there are a number of coaches in Jamaica that can move the team forward, but they must be given additional resources from the association to carry out their duties.
“I feel that there are coaches overseas that would love to come, but I don’t think that they need to outsource to coaches abroad,” she said.
“I think that there are coaches within the country that can work, but maybe they will need some help because the sport has grown, and these coaches will have to be consistent at the top level in order to bring forward a national team.
“I think maybe if we can get someone from overseas to guide and help them through the next World Cup and Commonwealth Games, then that will be good for the team.”
The Sunshine Girls are scheduled to begin preparation for their upcoming Quad Series, which will be hosted by England in January, once new coaching staff is in place. The series will be held from January 19-26 and will also involve world champions New Zealand and South Africa.
Fowler, who plies her trade in Australian Suncorp Super Netball with the West Coast Fever, is scheduled to play for Saracens Mavericks in this month’s annual British Fast5 All-Stars Championship, which begins on Saturday in London, England.