Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago have secured their spots in the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup, following impressive performances at the Americas Netball World Youth Cup qualifiers held in Guadeloupe.
The young Sunshine Girls emerged as champions, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament and sealing their victory with a 54-29 win over the young Gems of Barbados in Sunday’s final.
The young Calypso Girls of Trinidad and Tobago clinched the third and final qualifying spot by defeating Grenada 61-39 in the third-place playoff. Head coach Phyllis Thompson praised her Jamaican team’s resilience, particularly highlighting their semi-final comeback against Trinidad and Tobago, where they rallied to a 40-33 victory.
Talented and determined group of girls
“I am super excited and elated for the girls. They did the hard work coming into the tournament, and it showed on the court. Of course, we weren’t always flawless; we made our fair share of mistakes along the way, but the most important thing was to secure the win here and then work on tightening up our play going forward,” Thompson stated. “We have a very talented and determined group of girls, and it showed in the semi-final against Trinidad when we were down two goals. I reminded them that we are still in the game, and they went out and gave it their all to come out victorious. So I am very proud of them, and like I said, we will go back to the drawing board and work on what we need to for the World Cup next year.”
Despite falling short against Jamaica in the final, Barbados Netball Association President Dr. Carmeta Douglin maintained a positive outlook. She acknowledged the challenge of closing the gap with top-tier teams like Jamaica but expressed optimism about the future, emphasizing the importance of structured development.
“Our Under-21 is not a bad team, but they still need a lot of work to get to the world-class level, as you can see. So we are looking to build on Under-14, to move to Under-16, to move to Under-21, to move to seniors. So we are looking at an Academy, where we have players in training all year round, and moving up through the age groups. So this is something we are planning,” Douglin explained. “Jamaica has been there, they have done that, and they are getting a lot more practice, a lot more exposure, because this Jamaica Under-21 team would obviously be playing in their Super League and playing with their seniors, who already have a really good start. So we need to get there, and it’s a building process, and we are working towards it.”
Thrilled with her team’s third-place finish
Trinidad and Tobago’s Head Coach Kalifa McCollin-Lopez was thrilled with her team’s third-place finish. “I am very excited for the girls. They would have worked hard to reach here, and I know they are really happy right now,” she said. Despite tough losses to Barbados and Jamaica earlier in the tournament, McCollin-Lopez emphasized that these experiences served as valuable lessons for the team’s improved performance in the third-place match.
“Through those losses, we would have had to learn and grow from them; not to put themselves down too much because we had the game following, but to tidy up the mistakes and stick to the task. I think that is what we went out there and tried to do,” she noted.
These three Caribbean teams will now join pre-qualified teams New Zealand, Australia, England, Fiji, and host nation Gibraltar for the Netball World Youth Cup, scheduled for September 19–28 next year. The competition will feature 20 teams in total, with South Africa, Malawi, and Zambia qualifying from Africa, and Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka from Asia. The remaining six teams are yet to be decided.
The achievements of Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago underscore the region’s growing prowess in netball and set the stage for an exciting World Youth Cup in 2025.
