JNA going all out to secure funding for WYNC

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

With less than two months to go before the start of the World Youth Netball Championships (WYNC), Sonia Hamilton, chief executive officer of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA), said they are still in need of another $7 million to send the team to the tournament.

"We can't turn back at this time and so we are calling on corporate Jamaica to support us because we know that this team will be on the medal podium in the Cook Islands in August," said Hamilton in an interview with The Gleaner yesterday.

The C. Lloyd Walker coached-team, which finished fourth at the last tournament in Florida, is drawn in Pool D alongside Malawi, Singapore and Papua New Guinea in the tournament to be held from August 6 to 22.

Overall cost

Hamilton said the overall cost to send the team to this year's championships is $12 million and her association is embarking on a number of fund-raising events to help raise the money.

"These girls have trained hard, they are very skilful and once they get the money to send them to this championship, I know that they are going to make the nation proud," she said.

"We must thank captain Horace Burrell and the Jamaica Football Federation for allowing us the opportunity to host a tin drive on Sunday during their game against Panama and I also must thank the fans for their support," said Hamilton.

Tin drive

Hamilton pointed out that they have received permission from the Jamaica Cricket Association to conduct another tin drive during the one-day international game between the West Indies and India on June 28.

"We are asking everyone out there to get on board and support this team because these girls are going to rise to the occasion in the Cook Islands and make this country proud," she said.

In the build-up to the champion-ships, the Jamaicans, who rank among the favourites to lift this year's title, defeated arch-rivals England 2-1 in a three-match series at the G.C. Foster College in St Catherine in April.