Jamaican Diaspora In England Encouraged to Support Sunshine Girls Netball Matches on December 13 and 14

Members of the Jamaican Diaspora in England are being encouraged to support the Sunshine Girls in their upcoming netball matches against the England Roses on December 13 and 14 at the Copper Box Arena in London.

The matches begin at 2:00 p.m. England time (9:00 a.m. Jamaica time).

President of Netball Jamaica, Karen Baugh, is encouraging Jamaicans at home to rise early to watch the matches and urging members of the diaspora to attend and support the Sunshine Girls.

“We are in touch with the Jamaican High Commission, so we’re hoping that they will be reaching out to the Jamaican and Caribbean community – if they weren’t already coming to the matches, to come out… so that it’s not just England Roses fans who are there, but there’s a good, strong support for the Sunshine Girls… so that they can put on a good show,” she said.

Ms. Baugh told JIS News that the upcoming matches hold particular importance for the Sunshine Girls.

“I think they feel like they have something to prove… but the ball is round. We’re [ranked] number three in the world and England is number four… so we always have a very close competition. But they (Sunshine Girls) are very motivated to give Jamaicans something to smile about,” she said.

Meanwhile, a portion of the proceeds from the matches in England will be directed to Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.

Ms. Baugh stated that, following conversations with Netball England, the Jamaican team requested that an element of support be incorporated into the games.

“It was a mandate for us, in order to wrap our heads around going to the series after Hurricane Melissa… they worked with us, very collaboratively. So, now they are donating a dollar from each ticket, and they also have included on their platform an option for their fans to donate additionally.

“The venue holds between 7,000 and 10,000 persons, and there are two matches. So, if they get a full venue, hopefully we get a nice donation, which is going primarily to World Central Kitchen. This was the charity we selected because we thought, while they’re trying to rebuild their lives, sometimes just the preparation of food is the last thing they want to think about. We think they’re doing a really great job,” she said.

Jamaicans may watch the matches live on CVM TV at 9:00 a.m. on December 13 and 14.