Robert Bailey, Star Writer

Netball Jamaica (NJ) received a timely boost ahead of the Sunshine Girls three-Test series against world's number-three ranked England, after receiving a $3.5 million sponsorship deal from Supreme Venture Limited (SVL).

Carlene Edwards, sponsorship and public relations manager of SVL, handed over the company's sponsorship cheque to Marva Bernard, president of the NJ, during a press launch, which was held at the Heart College of Construction Services in Portmore yesterday.

The opening match is set for Saturday January 10, the second game will be played a day later, while the final match is scheduled for Tuesday 13.

Bernard in expressing gratitude to SVL for its sponsorship, said the series is very important as it forms part of their build-up to the 2015 World Championships, which will be held in Sydney, Australia.

"We are always grateful to Supreme Ventures because they always make it possible for us to show international netball to Jamaica," said Bernard.

"I looked in the record and I found that they first did it in 2008 and every year we can look forward to them coming forward," she said.

She added: "It is important for us to be able to host these types of series because they are expensive so when a sponsor like Supreme Ventures not only takes cares of grassroots netball in terms of the league, but also comes forward to the national programme, Netball Jamaica is very grateful to them."

Edwards said her company is committed to helping with the development of the sport because they have invested heavily in netball in the country.

"We believed in the vision and the work of Netball Jamaica and we have really seen the progress over the number of years that we have been partnering with them," said Edwards.

"I think the Sunshine Girls deserve the support and that is the reason why we are really behind them," she said.

"We are really hoping that come January that they will give us a very good performance as they usually do and so we are really expecting them to give a phenomenal performance against the English girls," Edwards noted.

The series will also feature an after party immediately following the first match plus a celebrity vs masters, and a corporate team taking on an entertainer's invitational team during the second and third matches.