WITH the Netball World Cup now moving to a two-year cycle instead of four, the road to the 2029 Netball World Cup gives Fiji an opportunity to build, develop and prepare for the next global campaign.
For a team that has recently welcomed new faces into the national setup, the next three years will be about more than preparing for one tournament.
The Oceania Qualifiers provided valuable international experience for the Crest Fiji Pearls, particularly for players experiencing international netball for the first time. That experience now becomes part of the foundation for what comes next.
Netball Fiji Transition Oversight Committee Chairperson Vasiti Vugakoto said the focus must now remain on the long-term development of the national programme.
“Any elite programme requires three to four years to be properly developed and executed before achieving top-level results,” Vugakoto said.
She said while Fiji had missed out on the 2027 Netball World Cup, the team had laid an important foundation for the future.
“Although we have missed out on the 2027 Netball World Cup, if we remain focused, we can achieve great things in 2029,” she said.
Vugakoto said the next qualifier will be in 2028, giving Netball Fiji the whole of 2027 to prepare the Crest Fiji Pearls.
The challenge for Netball Fiji will now be to continue developing players through domestic competitions, national camps, training programmes and international opportunities, ensuring the national squad continues to evolve.
Head Coach Michelle Parsons will also play an important role as the programme moves into its next phase, building combinations, developing young talent and establishing systems that can be sustained over the long term.
Vugakoto also acknowledged Parsons for taking on the national coaching role with limited preparation time before the Oceania Qualifiers.
The Crest Fiji Pearls will now turn their attention towards the next phase of their programme, with player development, high performance, coaching and international exposure forming key parts of the journey towards 2029..
