分类： sports

Netball Jamaica (NJ) is taking strategic steps to secure the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2026, announcing plans for a pre-tournament training camp in the United Kingdom tailored to its elite national squad, the Sunshine Girls. The 2026 Games, hosted in Glasgow, Scotland, are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 2, and organization leadership says the UK-based camp is the most logistically sound setup to put the team in peak competitive position.

A large share of Jamaica’s top senior netball players currently compete in professional franchise leagues outside the Caribbean, most notably Australia’s top-tier national competition. The final match of Australia’s 2026 season is not set to conclude until July 5, just a few weeks before the Commonwealth Games get underway. Hosting the camp in the UK eliminates the need for these overseas-based athletes to make an extra long-haul trip to Jamaica before traveling on to Scotland, simplifying travel logistics and allowing the entire squad to acclimate to the cooler Northern European weather and time zone well in advance of tournament play.

“It’s more practical to have the camp overseas because we need everyone to acclimatise over there,” Karen Baugh, president of Netball Jamaica, explained in an interview with the Jamaica Observer. All overseas-based players have already been named to the 2026 Commonwealth Games long squad, and while domestic-based athletes continue training with coaching staff based in Jamaica, Baugh noted the organization’s top priority is assembling the strongest possible roster for Glasgow.

Funding for the pre-tournament camp falls entirely to Netball Jamaica, despite the Jamaica Olympic Association covering the team’s travel costs for the Games themselves. Baugh projected that the 12-player training camp will cost between 8 million and 10 million Jamaican dollars, a sum that covers all accommodation, group meals, and local transportation for the squad during the camp. To bridge this funding gap, Netball Jamaica has launched a public-facing “adopt-a-player” sponsorship program, which invites local and international businesses to support individual team members and cover a share of the camp expenses.

“We have to fund that camp by ourselves. Sponsors are welcome. We are always struggling where funding is concerned and we are accustomed to rising above that,” Baugh said.

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls claimed a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, and Baugh made clear the organization’s goal for Glasgow is unambiguous: upgrade that silver to a gold medal finish. “We got a silver medal the last time and so our hope is that we’ll continue to perform at a very high level. Obviously we are always going for the gold, we want to be at the top of the podium and we will continue the work through this tournament and the World Cup next year to put out the best team that we can,” Baugh stated.

Addressing recent back-to-back series losses to top-ranked England and Australia, Baugh acknowledged that the large defeat margins were disappointing for both the team and netball fans across Jamaica, who have grown accustomed to consistent top finishes from the national side. “I know the results overall of those games were not good and, you know, people are not accustomed to the Sunshine Girls losing by those type of margins,” she said.

Even amid the disappointing results, however, Baugh highlighted key takeaways that bode well for the 2026 Games: a number of promising young rookies got valuable high-level international match experience, and emerging talent showed clear potential to contribute to the senior squad moving forward. “When you look at some of the individual work, we do see some new talent coming through and it will be up to us to continue to work and give them opportunities because we want them to keep Jamaica’s flag flying high and doing the best we can to come out on the podium of any tournament we participating in,” she concluded.

One of Jamaican football’s most storied institutions will not feature in the 2025-26 season of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL), after Harbour View FC’s relegation brought an end to 30 consecutive years of top-flight competition. But according to Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) chief executive Owen Hill, this surprising outcome is not a tragedy for the league — instead, it is proof of the growing competitiveness and rising strength of Jamaican football clubs outside the traditional urban heartland of the sport.

Known affectionately as the “Stars of the East”, Harbour View FC ranks among the most successful clubs in JPL history, tied for second place with five league titles. The club, which has produced and hosted a long list of Jamaican national team stars including Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, Jermaine Hue and the late Luton Shelton, claimed its most recent league title just four years ago, and finished fourth in the regional Concacaf Caribbean Cup only three years ago. This season, however, inconsistent performances left the club 13th in the league table with 38 points, landing them firmly in the relegation zone.

Hill acknowledged the deep heritage and historic contributions Harbour View has made to Jamaican football, but told local outlet Jamaica Observer that past glory offers no guarantees of a permanent top-flight spot. “It’s a highly competitive league, so no team can count on a spot unless they earn it every season,” Hill explained. “Longtime fans and loyal supporters may feel a club with Harbour View’s legacy always deserves a place in the top flight, but the reality is that other teams have stepped up and delivered when it counted most this season. Harbour View simply did not get the results they needed, and that is the nature of the league: underperform, and you will be relegated.”

Harbour View’s relegation marks the first time a club from Jamaica’s Corporate Area (the Kingston and St Andrew metropolitan region) has dropped out of the JPL since Boys’ Town FC was relegated in 2018. The contrasting story of Treasure Beach FC this season underscores the shifting balance of power between urban and rural Jamaican football. Based in St Elizabeth parish, Treasure Beach pulled off one of the season’s biggest surprises by retaining their JPL spot, clinching safety on the penultimate matchday to finish 11th in the table with 43 points.

This achievement is even more remarkable given the challenges the club faced this season: in their second ever campaign in Jamaica’s top flight, the club was forced to pause play for nearly two months after Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage to the club’s infrastructure and the surrounding St Elizabeth community in October.

Hill says the club’s resilience deserves high praise, and their success proves that top-tier Jamaican football talent is distributed across the entire island, not just concentrated in the capital. “I have been really impressed with what Coach Kemar Ricketts and his Treasure Beach side have accomplished this year, especially after how hard they were hit by Hurricane Melissa,” Hill said. “They have approached every match with incredible focus and diligence, and that has paid off.

“This is clear proof that quality football talent is not limited to Kingston and St Andrew. There is elite ability across all of Jamaica’s rural parishes. When you look at what teams like Treasure Beach, Chapelton, Mount Pleasant and Montego Bay have built, they have created a strong, interconnected network of talented players and coaches that have steadily raised the overall standard of the Jamaica Premier League.”

Hill added that Treasure Beach’s underdog success is an inspiring narrative for the league, highlighting the power of resilience in the face of hardship. “This has been a tough testing season for many clubs, but the spirit Treasure Beach has shown speaks volumes about what Jamaican football is made of. It helps us reinforce the message that the JPL is the place where the nation’s best talent emerges, and we need to keep investing in developing the sport across the entire country.”

For all his enthusiasm about the rise of rural clubs, Hill stressed that the PFJL’s core goal remains building the strongest possible league, regardless of where teams are based. “We are committed to giving equal opportunity to every potential participant. From the league’s perspective, our only job is to create an environment that fosters fair, healthy competition — and that is exactly what we are seeing now, as talent is no longer restricted to the capital.

“Any organized, well-structured side can now compete week in and week out against the best teams in the country. For me, whether an urban or rural club stays up or goes down doesn’t change what we need to do: our mission is to provide an enabling environment where participating players and clubs get real value from their involvement, whether that leads to professional contracts abroad, better playing conditions at home, or sustainable financial returns for club owners.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A new chapter for Calabar High School’s football program has officially begun, with seasoned Jamaican football coach Kemar Ricketts stepping into the role of technical director, bringing with him a proven track record of building competitive teams from the grassroots up. Fresh off pulling Treasure Beach FC back from the brink of relegation in the Jamaica Premier League, Ricketts says he is deeply honored to join the historic institution, which has produced dozens of elite athletes over its decades of existence.

In an exclusive interview with Observer Online, Ricketts opened up about his priorities and vision for the program, opening with gratitude for the opportunity. “First, I have to thank God for granting me this incredible chance to join a school with such a rich legacy,” he said. “So many legendary sportspeople and prominent figures have walked these halls, and it truly is a privilege to become part of this community.”

Ricketts fills the vacancy left by Jermey Miller, who guided Calabar High to the quarter-final stage of both the Manning Cup and Walker Cup for the first time in decades — a milestone that marked the program’s first major breakthrough in top-flight schoolboy football in generations. Calabar High’s trophy cabinet includes just three Manning Cup titles, with their most recent championship win coming back in 2005, a fact that underscores the gap the program has been looking to close in recent years.

Unlike many new coaches who enter a role making grand promises of immediate silverware, Ricketts is focused on building sustainable, long-term success that will outlast his own tenure. His coaching philosophy has been shaped by 15 years leading BB Coke High’s daCosta Cup program, where he built the team’s entire competitive structure from scratch, an experience that prepared him for the work ahead at Calabar.

“I’m not here to make empty guarantees about trophies. What I can promise is that I will give this role my absolute best every single day,” Ricketts said. “My core goal is to introduce clear structure, strong organization, and a culture of discipline across the program. We are building a durable program that will thrive for years after I am gone, and that long-term growth matters more to me than any quick, short-term result.”

Ricketts pointed to his recent work at Treasure Beach FC as proof of his approach: after securing the club’s place in the Jamaica Premier League and keeping them from dropping out of the top division, he calls the result a “monumental achievement” that has prepared him for this new challenge. For Ricketts, taking on the Calabar High role in the storied Manning Cup competition is a dream opportunity he has long awaited.

“I have admired the Manning Cup for years, for its technical quality and the rich tradition of competitive school football here in the Corporate Area,” he explained. “This is a whole new environment and a new challenge, but I am confident that things will grow better as we settle in and put in the work. The chance to rebuild and strengthen key parts of Calabar’s program is something I am incredibly excited about.”

Beyond winning matches, Ricketts emphasized that his biggest priority is nurturing the young athletes he will coach, focusing on personal growth as much as on-pitch performance. He wants to help the student-athletes develop a clear sense of purpose, build unshakable self-belief, and learn to see their potential from a new perspective. That growth, he says, should translate to every area of their lives, not just the football pitch.

“My biggest hope is that when these young men move on from the program, they leave as better people, with the confidence to express themselves both on and off the pitch,” Ricketts added. “That is the legacy I want to build here at Calabar.”

A major shakeup has hit Curacao’s senior men’s national football team just months ahead of their first ever World Cup finals appearance, with the Caribbean side turning to the architect of their historic qualification to steady the ship.

Veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, who masterminded Curacao’s surprise run to secure their spot in the global tournament, has stepped back into the head coach role following the sudden resignation of his short-tenured successor Fred Rutten. The confirmation came directly from Gilbert Martina, president of the Curacao Football Federation (FFK), in an exclusive phone interview with AFP from Caracas, Venezuela.

The 78-year-old Advocaat originally departed the post just three months after guiding Curacao to qualification, stepping down to prioritize care for his daughter who was facing a serious health crisis. Dutch football journalist reports now indicate that Advocaat only agreed to the comeback after seeing a significant improvement in his daughter’s condition, clearing the way for him to rejoin the national side’s World Cup preparations.

Following Advocaat’s exit earlier this year, the FFK hired another experienced Dutch tactician, 63-year-old Fred Rutten, to take over the role ahead of the tournament. But Rutten’s tenure quickly unraveled after two lopsided friendly losses in March that exposed clear gaps in the team’s performance under his leadership: Curacao fell 5-1 to Australia (another 2026 World Cup qualifier entrant) and suffered a 2-0 shutout defeat to China.

After what the FFK described as “constructive discussions” among federation leadership, Rutten formally submitted his resignation on Monday, opening the door for Advocaat’s unexpected return. The move brings Curacao’s World Cup campaign back into the hands of the manager who built the qualified squad, ending a period of uncertainty that had rocked the small Caribbean nation’s preparations for their debut on the world’s biggest football stage.