Netballers, coach get monetary rewards from JOA
Published:Tuesday | August 29, 2023 | 12:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has announced a special monetary award to Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, bronze medal winners at the recent Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
In a release yesterday, the JOA said each player from the netball squad which went to South Africa will receive $1m from a joint reward from Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) and Mayberry. Coach Connie Francis will receive $2m.
According to the release, the rewards will go towards funding investment accounts at Mayberry Investments for each medallist. The funds will be under management at Mayberry Investments for a period of three years or until the athlete’s retirement from netball, whichever is earlier.
“Today the Jamaica Olympic Association celebrates and acknowledges your achievements on the court but we also want to reward them.
“We have watched with pride over the years of the success and progress made by our Sunshine Girls and are elated that we have been a part of that journey along with our partners SVL and Mayberry.
“Following upon the Commonwealth Games, Caribbean Championships and Central American and Caribbean Games, all historic performances, it was only fitting that the icing on the cake was the Netball World Cup. The JOA and our partners salute you and your contribution to Jamaican pride, sports prowess and generally being great ambassadors of not only yourselves but also of the JOA and our partners ...” the release said.
Sunshine Girl Latanya Wilson received an additional one million dollars to help her recover quickly from a fire that destroyed her home on Rum Lane in downtown Kingston last week. The Sunshine Girl defender lost almost everything in the blaze, including her Netball World Cup bronze medal, her Commonwealth Games silver medal and last season’s Australian Super Netball League winners medal for Adelaide Thunderbirds.
JOA President Christopher Samuda said that the gesture was to give the 22-year-old another opportunity at a better life in a different environment.
“We recognised that our sportsmen and women will occasionally encounter difficult times. Certainly, these are difficult times for her and we thought it best to come to her aid so as to ensure that she has another opportunity of making life better,” Samuda said.