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A mother who won’t drop the ball
July 29, 2025
Most mothers of a nine-month old and a three-year-old would not be competing in an elite netball competition, but Tracyann Francis has defied the odds.
Not only did she play, but she achieved most accurate shooter for the tournament and most valuable player for the finals of the Red Stripe Flavours Netball Jamaica Elite League, which saw her team the Kingston Hummingbirds defeating the defending champions and favourites, Manchester Spurs, 52-50 at the National Arena on Sunday night.
Francis said this was not easily achieved as she lives outside of Kingston and has to balance motherhood with the competition.
"It is very difficult because I have to travel from Christiana, Manchester to the National Stadium every week and I have to travel with them," Francis said.
The challenges included her missing many team training sessions.
"I kind of get training off because of the distance as most of the players live in town," she said.
Despite these setbacks, the goal shooter excelled in the completion.
"I feel overwhelmed. It's been awhile, I have been doing this from high school and I'm just excited and happy at the same time," she said.
The former Holmwood Technical and GC Foster College netballer said although she is glad she is competing well locally, she has hopes of playing in an international netball league in England or Australia.
"I always have hope but you have to work toward that. It doesn't just come to you," she said. "You have to be in the national programme. I was in the national programme but because of difficulties, because I have two kids and sometimes I would have to bring them to training and they don't allow them," she explained.
She would also love to compete for Sunshine Girlz and rep the Jamaican flag at the senior level.
"I played under 16, I was in the programme for under 21s but I did not get picked, and then I moved on to seniors.But I haven't represented at the senior level," Francis explained.
This, she said, she has to work hard for.
"I need to do some training on my own and get back in the national programme. (I also might have to move back to Kingston) Because I live all the way down there and everything is kept at the National Stadium," she said.
The 27-year-old said she wants to achieve the best that the game can offer.
"I want to achieve good things in life because I am no longer living for myself, I am living for my kids," Francis said.
