NJ seeks $8m for restart of Elite League

Netball Jamaica (NJ) is seeking $8 million to restart the island’s top netball competition, the Elite League.

The Elite League has not been played since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of most sports across the island.

Simone Forbes, first vice president of NJ, told The Gleaner that the Elite League, which attracts the best netballers in the country, plays a very important role in the development of local and international netball. The outstanding local players usually move from this league into the Sunshine Girls squad.

Forbes appealed to corporate Jamaica to help by providing funds to restart the league.

“This league is extremely important for us. This is the top netball league in the country where the top 60 netballers in Jamaica hone their skills,” said Forbes.

“This is the league where our Sunshine Girls are mostly selected from and so for us to be able to compete against the top teams in the world, our local players have to be playing in a league at a high level,” she said.

“We want our best local players to be playing every week in a competitive league,” Forbes added.

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked third in the world, won a historic silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, earlier this month. In fact, of the 12-players, who played in the tournament, six are based in Jamaica.

Forbes, who is a former national player, pointed out that her organisation is hoping to restart the competition in January 2023 once they are able to secure a sponsor.

“It is extremely important for us to get a sponsor to put on this league that has been on a break for the last three seasons due to the COVID 19 pandemic,” she said.

“ We do not have a sponsor at the moment and so we are seeking to find a title sponsor. If we are not able to get that, then we would like to get as many sponsors as we can for the six competing teams,” Forbes said.