Australian grateful for Elite League experience

WHILE MANY Jamaican netball players dream of an opportunity to play in the Suncorp Super Netball League, Australian Hannah Kuhar went in the other direction, travelling 36 hours across the world to play in the semi-professional Red Stripe Flavours Netball Jamaica Elite League.

“I have always wanted to play in the highest level of netball that I can, and given that Jamaica is third in the world; everyone in Australia who is watching netball is watching netball because of the Jamaicans that come over, so I guess I have always been curious to know what is it that makes Jamaicans so strong at netball,” she said.

Kuhar joined former England Roses player Danielle Jordan-Taft as the only two international players for the 2025 Netball Jamaica Elite League season.

She played centre for the Manchester Spurs, who were defeated by Kingston Hummingbirds 52-50 in the final at the National Arena on Sunday night.

Despite the loss, she enjoyed the experience.

“It has been a wonderful season. Taking today out of the picture, I have so much to be proud of with Manchester Spurs; going through undefeated, something that not a lot of teams in any sport do, so it’s clear that this is a very special team,” she said.

“I can speak really highly of the experience I have had in Jamaica. It is pretty scary for a girl from Australia to fly 36 hours across the world to play in a virtually unknown netball league, but the people have been so hospitable. Your food is amazing. I have had a lot of fun. You have some talented netball players. I think it is really important that the relationship between Jamaican netball and netball all around the world continues to grow, because I think that makes us all better off.”

Kuhar said she has also improved as a player from participating in this five-week competition.

“Personally, it has been great to get a lot of minutes in this league. We are training twice a week and playing twice a week, so getting this opportunity that you sometimes don’t get in state leagues or local leagues in Australia. So I have really enjoyed that part of things, and also being challenged to play with different styles of players and become more clinically inclined with my game,” she said.

However, she said it was difficult being so far away from home, from family and friends.

“It is hard. It’s a very different culture here, so I miss lots of elements of Australian life. I think it was many days before I saw my first white person in Liguanea, so it made me laugh that I am in a very different culture,” she said.

Now that the season has ended, will she be coming back?

“Who knows what’s in store? I am going to process this loss and then reassess what next year holds,” she said.

Though it was a good experience for her, Kuhar noted that there is room for improvement in the league.

“I think Jamaica does extraordinarily well with the limited resources that they have. I see your board members work very hard to get new sponsorship, I see your sponsors being very present and your players wanting the best. I think that it is very important that Jamaica keeps pushing the dial with what they can do, especially with the professionalism and making sure that you are always aiming higher and higher. That will come with sustained commitment from all of the most significant stakeholders, but it takes a lot of hard work and I think Jamaica is trying its best.”