Marva Bernard ... JNA president. - File

Marva Bernard, president of the Jamaica Netball Association said there is no pressure on Jamaica's junior Sunshine Girls to win this year's World Youth Netball Championship, which will be held in the Cook Islands from August 10-20.

"They are young and they fear no opponent because they are not in the business long enough yet to care about Australia, New Zealand and England," said Bernard.

"I know that we have the ammunition to be right up there with the top three teams in the world because I know that they are not better than us," she said.

Bernard added that she expects the team to improve on their fourth-place finish four years ago in Florida.

"I expect that this team will do well. I expect that they will work hard and I know that at the end of the day, they will be rewarded with another good result for this country." She said the team has progressed under coach C. Lloyd Walker who has been in charge since March. He took over from Janet Guy.

"Mr Walker has been doing a tremendous amount of work to get this team ready and I lift my hat off to him, and I know that he has a plan and he will not deviate from the plan."

progressed significantly

"Our team has progressed significantly since England came here (in March) and with the inclusion of Romelda (Aiken) now to the attack, we can only expect another good performance by Jamaica's netball team on the international scene."

"The girls are jelling and they are a unit and we have tried to put them together in some simple ways because they are friends and this is a good starting point for us."

She explained that the team has a vision board that has the team's targets written on it. The players look at them daily to keep themselves focused.

"Their vision is to win the gold medal and we teach them to set their sights on the crown and if they don't make it to the crown, they can't drop to the bottom. It is a part of their equipment which will be travelling to the Cook Islands with us."

Bernard, who will be travelling with the team to the championships, said she was excited at the prospects of being with a group that is so like sponges, soaking up what it is that their coaches have to offer and she is prepared to support them along the way.

"We tried not to make their aspiration and their vision be a pressure because the work that is going to produce the results is going to be done before they get to the tournament. I think that the work and the pressure must be now, because it cannot be when they get to the Cook Islands," she said.

"I am hoping that all the negative things that are going to happen, happen now and so we will know how to treat them."

Jamaica's Under-21 goal shooter, Crystal Gordon (right), prepares to shoot the ball as England's Under-21 goal keeper, Eboni Beckford-Chambers, jumps to block the shot while Jamaica's Christina Solmon (left) and England defender Layla Guscoth look on during an international series earlier this year. - File

Email: robert.bailey@gleanerjm.com