Netball Jamaica continues funding drive for trainer

President of Netball Jamaica (NJ) Karen Rosen-Baugh says the organisation is continuing its search for corporate sponsorship to help fund a full-time strength-and-conditioning trainer for the national netball programme.

Rosen-Baugh said the position is critical to the preparation of the Sunshine Girls and the country’s development squads, particularly with Jamaica’s build-up to next year’s World Cup already under way.

“The team is back in training, and they are preparing for the Horizon Series in November and December. We have away games in November and home games in December, and then we move into preparation for the World Cup next year,” Rosen-Baugh said.

“However, we are still working on having a full-time strength-and-conditioning trainer, and that is a must to make sure that the team is as well prepared as possible because you saw in the Commonwealth Games how important that was, and so we are still working on corporate support and still hoping that something positive will happen in the next week or so to make sure that we are able to fund a strength-and-conditioning trainer,” she said.

The Sunshine Girls returned to training following their silver-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, last month.

They have now turned their attention to the four-match Horizon Series against England, with two matches scheduled for London on November 21 and 22, followed by two home fixtures on December 5 and 6.

Development squads

Rosen-Baugh added that the trainer would not be assigned solely to the senior Sunshine Girls team but would also work with the country’s development squads.

“We want to have a strength-and-conditioning trainer not just for the senior team, but our development squads, which are in training, as well for the engagement against an England Roses team that will be coming with their senior team for the Horizon Series,” she said.

“We also want to get our under-16 squad back in training because our development work locally is as important as the senior squad’s preparation for their engagement next year.”

Rosen-Baugh also said the organisation is seeking a trainer who can provide individualised programmes for players rather than simply attend team training sessions.

“We are still hoping that corporate Jamaica will come through with assisting us in being able to engage a full-time strength-and-conditioning trainer not just to come to training but to individualise programmes for our girls,” she said.

“This is critical to any elite programmes because most of the top six teams actually travel with the strength-and-conditioning trainer when they go to tournaments overseas, but we have not been able to,” Rosen-Baugh said.

She noted that the programme would cost between $150,000 and $200,000 per month, depending on the number of days the trainer is required to work.