This country’s Under-21 netballers left for Gibraltar on September 12 for the World Netball Youth Cup.
The players and officials departed just after 5 pm for the Netherlands. They then fly over to Spain before driving over to Gibraltar, the overseas British Dependency, located on the southwestern tip of Spain.
Decked in white tops and black pants, the young women are expected to arrive in Gibraltar later today. Leading the T&T delegation is president of Netball T&T (NTT), Debbie-Ann Francois.
The 13-member squad is drawn in Pool D along with South Africa, Fiji, Malawi and fellow Caribbean team, Barbados.
Francois, speaking to Guardian Media Sports just after the contingent checked in at the Piarco International Airport, said the players are eager to get into action.
“The team is in good spirits. They (the members) are all anxious and waiting to get there to put their best foot forward. We will continue to do our best to represent T&T as best as we can,” said Francois.
The Cup is set to open on September 19, with play beginning one day later. The local girls will first face Fiji on September 20 before tackling Malawi on September 21. The Maikea Bramble-led squad will then square off against South Africa, the following day, before ending pool play against Barbados on September 24.
The young “Calypso Girls” will be aiming to finish among the top two teams to secure a place in the quarterfinals set to tip off on September 25. The semifinals are carded for September 26, with the final two days thereafter.
T&T qualified for the 2025 World Netball Youth Cup after finishing third in the Americas Qualifiers in Guadeloupe in July 2024.
The local girls bowed out in the pool stage at the last edition of the tournament in 2017 in Botswana and finished in 14th spot. The 2021 competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. T&T ended in eighth spot at the 2013 championships hosted in Scotland and 10th in 2009.
The team’s participation was made possible courtesy of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Sport Company of T&T (SporTT), Barefruit Juices, Yuma, Bryden, Massy Distributors, Bermudez, Cascadia Hotel and the Lystra Lewis Port-of-Spain Netball League.
