'I am available'... top umpire puts up his hand for Sunshine Girls coaching job

Sylvester Campbell, one of the top netball coaches in the country, has indicated that he would be interested in becoming a member of the Sunshine Girls coaching staff when the head coach position becomes available at the end of the month.

Campbell, who is currently the coach of the many-time Berger Paints Super League champions Tivoli Gardens, told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday that he would be grateful for the opportunity to work with the Sunshine Girls team.

"If my country needs me, and in so doing I will raise the standard, I will make myself available for the job," said Campbell. "I would be very happy to work with the coaching staff in helping to get the team to where they need to be."

The contract of head coach Oberon Pitterson, along with other members of her coaching staff, is slated to expire later this month, and the Jamaica Netball Asso-ciation (JNA) rules state that persons interested in becoming part of the project must apply for the job in writing.

Campbell, who is regarded as one of the best umpires in the world, added that if he were given the opportunity to work with the team, the Sunshine Girls would be able to benefit greatly from his experience and knowledge not only as a coach, but also as an international umpire.

"I think I could make a contribution to the programme to help the development of the sport in Jamaica," said the 42-year-old Campbell.

Revamp programme

The outspoken Campbell also mentioned that following the team's dismal performances at last month's World Netball Championship, (WNC) in Singapore, the JNA must look at various measures to revamp their programme and build towards the next tournament in 2015.

"We need to overhaul the entire programme going forward, because a number of the senior players will be retiring in a few years, and so the younger ones will have to get acclimatised to the rigours of national training," said Campbell.

The Sunshine Girls, who are ranked fourth in the world, finished a disappointing fourth at the WNC, in the process surrendering their bronze medal to arch-rivals England in the third-place play-off. This has also led to many persons within the netballing circle calling for Pitterson to step down from her post.

"There is no quick fix to get to the top two, and so the JNA will have to think about the day-to-day operations of netball in Jamaica," he said. "We need to develop the coaches at all levels and we also need to look at the leagues that we currently have, because we need to have players competing at all times at the highest level," Campbell pointed out.

Continuing, Campbell said: "We also need to develop the standard of umpiring so the players can get higher adjudication when it comes to the matches at all levels in the game."

- Robert Bailey