Following the federation’s official rebrand to World Netball, the international governing body has announced appointments of two of Jamaica’s best-loved netball stars – Marva Bernard OD, and Shamera Sterling – as official ambassadors.
President of Americas Netball and World Netball Board Director for Americas, Bernard will take on the role of being World Netball’s Teamwork Ambassador, while Sunshine Girls defender Sterling will become the Athlete Ambassador for the Americas region.
Immersed in the netball world for over 40 years, Bernard is credited with being the driving force behind taking the sport to new heights during her 10-year tenure as Jamaica Netball Association president.
Commenting on the announcement, World Netball President Liz Nicholl said: “Over the years, Marva has made an incredible contribution to netball, working with our Members, Regions, and netball family to develop and grow the sport in new and existing territories, all with the ethos of improving the lives of netballers educationally, socially and economically. So many women around the world have benefitted from Marva’s dedication and teamwork, so she is the perfect choice to represent World Netball’s Teamwork Value – ‘we work effectively within and across regions.”
Looking forward to her role, Bernard said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been invited to take on the role of Teamwork Ambassador ahead of World Netball’s exciting new chapter. I strongly believe that netball associations around the world are there not only to develop the game but as a force for good, to improve the lives of netball players under their charge.
“Being a team player is second nature to me and I am cognisant that it is impossible to achieve success without collaboration, cooperation and acknowledging the contribution of others. As Teamwork Ambassador I will continue to work hard to ensure that our sport continues to flourish and grow globally.”
Sterling is one of the world’s most exciting netball talents, currently stamping her authority on the world’s best netball competition, the Suncorp Super Netball league with her team Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Commenting on the announcement, World Netball president Liz Nicholl said: “Shamera is a passionate, exciting, and skilful player who has set the netball world alight. She is a popular and inspiring role model for women and girls at all levels of the game and a brilliant advocate of our wonderful sport.”
“She has made a huge impact not only for her country’s national team but also in Australia as part of the Adelaide Thunderbirds squad and I’m positive that she will be an influential force as we continue to grow our sport and inspire our community.”
Commenting on her role, Sterling said: “I’m honoured to have been chosen as the World Netball Athlete Ambassador for the Americas. I’m really keen to inspire the next generation of netballers as well as grow our sport around the world, so I’m really looking forward to working with my fellow ambassadors to achieve this.”
World Netball will be revealing a team of ambassadors representing the organisation’s newly launched Values of Excellence, Teamwork, Heart, Integrity, Courage, Athlete and Leadership. Together, the Values reflect World Netball’s commitment to operating within an ETHICAL framework.
Both Bernard and Sterling were two of the first famous faces to appear in World Netball’s ‘Your Netball World’ virtual mosaic, which brought together netball faces and stories from all over the globe to celebrate the international netball family.
You can read the full press release here or view Bernard and Sterling’s inspiring entries in our World Netball mosaic by clicking here and typing their names in the search bar.
