Our history
Competitive Netball among Caribbean countries started in 1954 between St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago. Barbados subsequently joined two years later, and were subsequently joined by Jamaica, Dominica and St. Kitts & Nevis.
Through the instrumentality of Trinidadian Lystra Lewis, the West Indies Netball Board was formed in an effort to formalise the Tournament.
The primary objective of moving tournaments from country to country was a means of ensuring that each member country secured a top-class netball facility; to allow spectators in each country to see the other countries in action; and to contribute significantly to regional integration movement.
With that, The Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament is celebrating its 21st edition in Barbados this year.
The Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament is named after international Trinidadian netballer Eugenia “Jean” Pierre. Pierre was an outstanding netball player who played on the highly decorated 1979 T&T netball team that shared the World Championship with Australia and New Zealand. She later became a government sports minister in Trinidad from 1991 to 1995. In recognition of her contributions to netball in T&T, the Jean Pierre sports complex in Port-of-Spain was named after her.
History of the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament
Two major tournaments are held annually. These are the Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament which is a development event and the OECS International Netball Series which is a ranking tournament.
The Jean Pierre Caribbean Youth Netball Tournament (JPCYNT) was first held in 1998 in Antigua & Barbuda, where team Jamaica bested team Barbados 30-29 to clinch the inaugural tournament. The tournament has been held every year since, organized by the Caribbean Netball Association, with exceptions in 2003, 2007 and 2013.
Sixteen countries from across the Caribbean are eligible to participate.
