Elite League begins with Sunshine Girls spots still up for grabs

With several spots still up for grabs on the Sunshine Girls squad to this year’s Commonwealth and Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, president of Netball Jamaica (NJ) Karen Rosen-Baugh says the organisation is gearing up for an exciting five weeks of action in the Elite League competition next month.

The Elite League, regarded as the island’s top netball competition, will feature many of Jamaica’s best players battling for national honours, while also aiming to impress the selectors ahead of major international assignments.

“The league is going to start in early June and we are really looking forward to an exciting and intense competition this year, particularly because we have two international tournaments and so we have players vying for final selections on those teams,” said Rosen-Baugh. 

Five teams will compete in this year’s staging of the competition, four Elite League franchises along with the Jamaica Development team. The participating teams are defending champions Kingston Hummingbirds, Manchester Spurs, St Ann Orchids, St Catherine Racers and the Jamaica Development squad.

Rosen-Baugh added that the sponsors were pleased with last year’s competition and therefore had little hesitation in returning this season.

“Last year, our sponsors were very happy with the arrangements and the publicity that we received and with the support at the matches. So it wasn't hard to get them back on board,” she said.

Rosen-Baugh pointed out that this year’s format will differ from previous seasons, with teams retaining most of their players instead of having a complete redraft.

“Each year, the players will go back into the mix and then they are drafted, but this year we decided that, based on how close the games were last year, you never could tell which of the teams was going to win. So most of the coaches will retain a good percentage of the players that they had from the team last year,” Rosen-Baugh explained.

“The others will then go back into the draft to pick the last three or four players. So we are going to have some continuity this year and so we are looking for really close matches and we are looking for real intense competition and an elite atmosphere,” she said. 

Rosen-Baugh also shared that her organisation is still seeking additional sponsorship to offset the cost of staging the tournament, which usually runs between $6 million and $7 million.

“We always need more cash to care and we need more sponsors to promote the value of elite competition in Jamaica,” she said. 

“Typically, we have to go online or watch a match on TV to see the best of the best, and we are trying to showcase the best that we have in five intense weeks of competition.

“We play the matches, typically, two days per week on a Friday evening and a Sunday evening, and we do need sponsors to come on board. We can assure that the sponsors will get bang for their buck,” said Rosen-Baugh. 

“It usually costs us in the range of $6-7 million to run the league. The players are paid a stipend for training and then they will get a match fee for each match that they play.”

Rosen-Baugh disclosed that discussions are still ongoing regarding the possible return of overseas players who participated in last year’s tournament.

“Last year we had two players from outside of Jamaica but I can't confirm as yet if they will be back but, close to the competition, I will tell you more about that,” she said. 

“But that did add an extra element to the competition. One of these players became a crowd favourite and so it is something to look forward to and Jamaican players have their own supporters and they have maintained that throughout the competition.”

She also stressed that all members of the current Sunshine Girls squad are required to participate in the competition as part of their preparation for the upcoming international tournaments.