The already overflowing trophy cabinets of some of the Middle East's most prestigious schools may need to make some space for yet more silverware, after three of the region’s most prominent schools announced their participation in the inaugural World Schools Netball Cup.
Jumeirah English Speaking School, Raha International School, and British School Al Khubairat will all field teams in the event, which will be hosted by Loughborough University in June 2019, where they will come up against t
he cream of the British Isles, such as Millfield, Sevenoaks, and Wellington College, as well as schools from further afield.
Speaking ahead of the event, BSAK’s director of netball, Vicki Bolger revealed her excitement,
“The opportunity to compete in a global tournament against schools from all over the world is an exciting proposition. Netball in the Middle East region has gone from strength to strength in recent years, so it will be a great experience for our girls to test themselves on the international stage.”
Andrea McKinnon, Athletic Director at Raha International School, sees the event as a great opportunity for her students to experience not only international competition, but also one of the UK's top universities.
"I know that many of our female students aspire to play netball at the highest level they possibly can. For them to be able to sample life at a fantastic institution like Loughborough University, home of a major superleague team, and England Netball, will be a great experience, and I'm sure will act as a huge incentive to continue to strive to be the best they can be, both on the court and in the classroom."
Chairman of the WSG Organising Committee, James Hair, revealed that demand for team places has been insatiable since the launch of the event in early October.
“The event has proven very popular with schools from far and wide. We received a deluge of requests upon the launch of the competition, and had to cap team entries from a number of countries before the end of the first week.”
The good news for schools in the Gulf region? There are still a small number of places up for grabs…head over to the official event website for more details.