VITALITY ROSES AND JAMAICA AGREE NEW FOUR-YEAR SERIES

The Vitality Roses will play Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls in a new four-year international test series played in both countries.

The new Vitality Netball Horizon Series will kick off on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November at the AO Arena in Manchester and then move to Jamaica, with games being played at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 November. This pattern of two home and two away matches will be repeated for the next four years as a new regular fixture in the international calendar.

Tickets are on sale now for both matches at the AO Arena. With show-stopping activations planned to accompany the on-court action, it promises to be a fast-paced, fierce battle on court and a fun-filled celebration of two great netball nations on the sidelines.

The two sides, currently ranked third and fourth in the world, last met in 2023 in a three-match test series played in Manchester and London which saw the Vitality Roses defeat Jamaica 73-52 in the first match, suffer a 58-61 loss in the second match, and claim the series with a 63-59 win in the final test.

Discussing the series, England Netball Performance Director David Parsons said: “We are thrilled to be able to bring together two nations that share a great history off the court, and a special sporting rivalry on it.”

Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby added: “Both nations have enjoyed success at recent major tournaments with Jamaica taking silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 and the Vitality Roses securing silver at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.

“Many of the Sunshine Girls are in impressive form in Suncorp Super Netball and we are keen to ensure we continue to pit ourselves against not only the current world numbers one and two, but another highly ranked nation. We always enjoy playing in these head-to-heads that deliver flamboyant, exciting netball and showcase a high skill level from both sides.”

Get your tickets for 16 and 17 November

Sunshine Girls Head Coach, Sasher-Gaye Henry concluded: “Jamaica and England have a long tradition of exciting match-ups. The netball community in Jamaica is longing to see the Sunshine Girls play on local soil, and we are looking forward to putting on a good show as the teams are evenly matched.”

England and Jamaica have a strong and historic relationship, both on and off the netball court. The growth and development of the sport in the UK owes a lot to the many pioneers of the game who have Caribbean heritage. To celebrate the strengthening of this bond between the two netballing nations, we spoke to members of our Netball Family who have allegiance to both the Vitality Roses and the Sunshine Girls.

Diane Dunkley is Head Coach at Academy Netball Club, winners of last season’s Premier League. Diane grew up in London in a Jamaican household and has vivid memories of the Caribbean influence on netball back in the 1990s.

“I used to play in a competition called the Inter-Island Tournament,” Diane tells us. “It was started by two sisters – and anyone with Caribbean heritage or who was born in the Caribbean could play and represent their island. I would play for the Jamaican team. Maureen Gordon and Marlene Wander were heavily involved in the organisation of the tournament, and it was incredible. Everyone would wear their island colours and represent their culture.”

The tournament finished in 2010, but by then Diane’s love for netball was firmly cemented into her life: “Mary Beardwood and Sally Essex were my mentors at Academy and I looked up to them a lot. There have also been so many pioneers with Caribbean heritage – like Maureen and Marlene – who brought Jamaican culture to UK netball and paved the way for inclusivity.”

Beyond playing and coaching, Diane is an avid follower of international netball. In 2003 she travelled to Jamaica for the Netball World Cup, which she says felt like a homecoming of sorts. By this point, Diane’s mum had moved back to Jamaica and was living in May Pen – just a 45-minute drive from where the tournament was taking place in Kingston.

“It felt like I had been born there,” says Diane. “It was an incredible atmosphere. The whole thing was like a carnival. From the entertainment and music – Beanie Man was performing – to the food and the dancing. It was unforgettable.”

And that’s without even talking about the netball itself. Diane remembers that the games were fast-paced and competitive. She is confident we will see more of the same at the Vitality Netball Horizon Series in November.

“We are about to see some of the best players who have been dominating in the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League in Australia. Jamaica are ready to compete for that top spot. It is going to be awesome.”

There are currently eight players from Jamaica’s national squad contracted to clubs in Australia – and they are certainly not there to make up the numbers.

Goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has scored more than 5,000 goals in SSN matches, and won the Super Netball player of the year title five times in a row from 2018, only to have the title taken by Adelaide Thunderbirds goal keeper and fellow Sunshine Girl Shamera Sterling-Humphrey in 2023.

“Whenever I watch the Jamaican team, my eyes are absolutely glued to them,” says DJ Mystikle Blue. Mystikle, who is also known as the Netball DJ and rediscovered her love for the sport while performing at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, is a particular fan of Sterling-Humphrey.

“How does she move her body like that to get those interceptions? I swear she is defying the laws of physics.”

The DJ and radio presenter lives in Birmingham but both of her parents were born in the Caribbean: “I have a very unique perspective. I was born in England, so my music background is British influenced,” she explains.

“Then I’ve got my father’s Jamaican heritage, with the reggae dancehall culture, and my mum’s side – the Kittitian culture from St Kitts – which is soca vibes. I tend to blend all of those influences. I feel like that is why I am able to cater to so many different kinds of people.

“One of my favourite things is playing soca and reggae music at England games and seeing everyone vibing. At the Commonwealth Games there was this serious-looking guy in his 60s sitting behind me. When I dropped this soca tune he wasn’t sure at first, but when the whole crowd erupted he just went with it and started loving it.”

It was watching netball, specifically England and Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games, that inspired Mystikle to start playing again. She joined a Back to Netball session and, despite a few niggling injuries, she has loved being part of a team again.

“I always worried that if I went back to playing netball it wouldn’t be very diverse. I was wrong,” she says. “I found that I was playing with so many women from my heritage, women my age, women with kids, women who were older than me. And as well as playing the game, you get to know about each other in ways that I can’t put into words.”

Get your tickets for 16 and 17 November

For Caswell Palmer, Netball Super League umpire and coach at Spartans men’s team, the prospect of a regular fixture for England to play Jamaica on their turf is a big deal.

“The Sunshine Girls often struggle with sponsorship and funding, so to show that they can host the biggest nations in the world and draw in those big crowds – it could really make a difference,” he explains.

“The exposure will also be really important in inspiring the next generation of netballers in Jamaica. More young women will be able to see their potential by watching these games.”

Born and raised in Jamaica with four sisters, Caswell grew up at the netball courts. It was always a huge part of his life. When he moved to the UK more than two decades ago, he began his journey into officiating and coaching. What he loves most about watching England play against Jamaica is getting to watch the signature style of play he recognises from his home country.

“Anywhere you go, once Jamaica is involved in sports, there is always going to be excitement,” he says. “The flair of the Jamaican style is second to none. It always comes with this exuberance and flamboyance, which just adds this different element to the game. It always draws in the spectators.”

He adds: “Any battle between England and Jamaica is always going to be competitive and fierce. There is a big population of British Jamaicans in Manchester, so you know the atmosphere is going to be fantastic. You’ve got two of the best teams in the world competing against each other.”

For the many British netballers with Jamaican heritage, it can feel like a unique privilege to have a foot in both camps – supporting the Roses and also feeling a deep sense of pride for the Jamaican team. In some ways, it leaves us with the best of both – this is certainly how Diane feels about it.

“I will always support the England team. I have many great friends who have played for the Roses over the years and they know I back them. But when it comes to fixtures against the Sunshine Girls, I will be wearing Jamaican colours head-to-toe, and I just love it.”

Get your tickets for 16 and 17 November