Former Netball Jamaica President Marva Bernard and current Sunshine Girl Shamera Sterling, have named among the first ever set of Netball Ambassadors named by the world governing body, World Netball.

Bernard, who is now the president of Americas Netball and World Netball board director for the Americas, takes on the role of Teamwork Ambassador, while Sterling, a Sunshine Girls defender, is the Athlete Ambassador for the Americas
region.

On Monday, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange congratulated the pair for their new appointments.

As Teamwork Ambassador, Bernard, “will work to ensure that netball continues to flourish and grow globally”.

Sterling’s role as Athlete Ambassador is, “to inspire the next generation of netballers as well as to grow the sport around the world”.

Said Grange: “I am so pleased with these appointments of Marva and Shamera. World Netball has seen in them what we in Jamaica have recognised as a top class administrator and a player who is at the top of her game, playing as defender for the Sunshine Girls.”

She added: “Marva, we know, took netball to new heights during her 10-year tenure as president of the Jamaica Netball Association, which became Netball Jamaica. Under her stewardship, both the Sunshine Girls and the Under-21 team enjoyed successes in international competitions.

“It is said of Shamera that she is one of the world’s most exciting netball talents, currently stamping her authority on the world’s best netball competition as she plays for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia.”

The 11-member team of ambassadors represents World Netball’s newly launched Values of Excellence, Teamwork, Heart, Integrity, Courage, Athlete and Leadership. Under the Athlete value, there will be five athletes who will each
represent one of the World Netball Regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

According to World Netball: “The Ambassadors will help create a better world through netball and play a key role in World Netball’s Vision to inspire netballers to embrace opportunities and achieve their potential and mission (and) to expand netball’s worldwide reach and impact.”