‘We are happy for them’ NJ president reacts to England winning bid to host 2031 Netball World Cup

Netball Jamaica (NJ) is delighted that England has been chosen to host the 2031 Netball World Cup.

According to NJ President Karen Rosen-Baugh, the Sunshine Girls are looking forward to competing at the championships in front of their large fan base in the United Kingdom (UK).

“We were kind of anticipating that it would be them, because Australia is hosting the next World Cup in 2027 and after that, in terms of options and countries that have the facilities that can host, we thought that it would be England,” Rosen-Baugh said.

“So we are happy for them. We have a continuing partnership with England Netball where we play the Horizon Series every year, so we have been in and out of the UK quite often; so it is a territory that we are accustomed to.”

Immediate priority

However, Rosen-Baugh stressed that Jamaica’s immediate priority is the 2027 World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

“We first focus on winning the World Cup in 2027 in less than a year, and we need to cross that hurdle first. Every World Cup, we are going to aspire to win,” she said.

“We have shown that we can be at the top, that we are near to the top, and if we have all the right things in place, we want to come home with a World Cup trophy — and hopefully next year.”

Jamaica’s first and only hosting of the Netball World Cup came in 2003, when the tournament was staged at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

The Sunshine Girls secured the bronze medal at that tournament.

Former Netball Jamaica president Marva Bernard welcomed England’s selection, pointing to the large Caribbean community in Manchester and the potential financial benefits for Jamaica.

“I am really pleased that the 2031 World Cup will be held on this side of the world and in Manchester too, where we would get a lot of support from the West Indian people living there,” Bernard said.

“Manchester had a lovely arena in the day, and I am sure it is still good, the Manchester Evening News Arena. The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held there, and they were able to fill every seat. Even when Jamaica played England there, we got good crowds, so it should be a financial success.”

Bernard also noted that participating countries share financial profits from the World Cup, which could benefit Jamaica and other Caribbean teams by reducing the burden of long-distance travel.