Netball Jamaica targets over $75m for Sunshine Girls' 2027 World Cup campaign

Netball Jamaica president Karen Rosen-Baugh says the organisation expects to spend more than $75 million to get the Sunshine Girls ready for the next Netball World Cup and to send the squad to Sydney, Australia.

The tournament, which will bring together the leading netball countries, is set for August 25 to September 5, 2027. Rosen-Baugh said planning is already moving towards that World Cup, even as the association is also getting other national teams ready for major duties.

She said two teams are now in preparation for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2026 CAC (Central America and Caribbean) Games, while the main attention is also on building the group for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

According to Rosen-Baugh, the cost of travel is among the heaviest pressures on the programme. She said airfare is the single biggest item, and prices are climbing because of the war involving Iran and the United States. Based on that, she estimated that the overall bill will be in excess of $75 million.

Rosen-Baugh said the spending cannot stop at flights. She noted that a serious World Cup campaign also needs strong team management and proper support around the players, including coaching, nutrition and access to a sports psychologist.

She added that the planning is made more complex because some members of the squad live in Jamaica, while others spend much of the year overseas with their clubs. Netball Jamaica, she said, will have to make every effort to raise the money needed to support the Sunshine Girls properly.

The national team is expected to head into the 2027 championship with belief after earning bronze at the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa.

To ease the financial strain, Rosen-Baugh said Netball Jamaica intends to bring back its adopt-a-player programme, which had worked well before. Under that model, companies can support one player instead of taking on the full national programme.

She said that kind of sponsorship could help cover airfare by the time the team is ready to travel. Rosen-Baugh also pointed out that federations have to carry that responsibility because, in her view, there is not enough backing from the world body.

She said early preparation will be important because Netball Jamaica must find funds for both flights and accommodation, while also managing the needs of the two other teams preparing for major competitions this year. The adopt-a-player plan, she said, gives businesses a chance to assist at different levels.