Pre-teen netball player on the attack for her North Leeward team

Samara Pierre, the 12-year-old goal attack for North Leeward Youth Netball Team, and currently a student at the Petit Bordel Secondary School, has been playing netball for about one year. She was instrumental in her team’s victory in the knock out finals in Division 4 of the 2025 BOSVG-sponsored National Club Netball Championship, on Saturday, June, 21, 2025.

The North Leeward came up against the Sion Hill Netball Team (3), giving them a 34-10 whipping.

Samara performed creditably during the matches played, causing many to speak highly of her. Coach of the North Leeward Stars, Nivea Matthews, and Samara’s coach, spoke highly of the progress made by the young players and the work put in by Samara with whom she has been training since primary school days.

“I’ve been working with Samara in and out to make sure that she is a very good shooter… and I see Samara putting in all of her work… she said, ‘Miss, I could do anything I put my mind to’.”

Samara told SEARCHLIGHT that it was her coach who got her to begin playing netball, and she has been enjoying the game ever since.

Her on-court celebrations after netting a goal demonstrates just how much she enjoys the game which she plans to continue playing for a long time.

When the individuals awards were announced, Samara Pierre was North Leeward Youths’ Most Valuable Player as well as the Best Attacking Player in the Vitamalt-sponsored Youth Development Division. She also won the Player of the Tournament award in that division.

Mathews shared that her decision to guide the development of the youths in the sport also propelled her to have a team enter the national championships.

“I decided that I would bring a team to train because I normally train the primary school netballers,” who were playing competitive netball as a unit for the first time this year.

Mathews said she was “very satisfied” with the team’s victory as knock out champions in Division 4, which also was a testimony that her hard work She will like to see more parents in North Leeward communities send their children to join the club, and using Samara as an example, noted that this will aid in the development of their children.