The AFNA Championships were a series of netball tournaments organised by the Americas Federation of Netball Associations. It was effectively a successor tournament to the earlier West Indies Netball Championship and Caribbean Netball Championship. Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are the series most successful teams. Later AFNA tournaments served as qualifiers for both Netball at the Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup.
History West Indies Netball Championship Competitive netball among Caribbean/West Indies countries started in 1954 with a triangular tournament featuring Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. In 1954, Lystra Lewis, the pioneering Trinidad and Tobago netball coach and administrator, was instrumental in establishing the West Indies Netball Board in an effort to formalise these early netball tournaments. In 1956, the original three were joined by Barbados. They were subsequently joined by Jamaica, Dominica and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Jamaica made their Test debut at the 1959 West Indies tournament hosted by Montserrat. In 1965, Saint Kitts and Nevis made their tournament debut.
Caribbean Netball Championships After 1975, the winners were awarded the Dr. Eric Williams Trophy, named after Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Netball Association also became the tournaments main organiser. By 1977 the tournament had evolved into the Caribbean Netball Championships. Trinidad and Tobago dominated this era, winning eleven titles between 1977 and 1993. Saint Kitts and Nevis were the only team to challenge Trinidad and Tobago. After winning the 1973 tournament, in 1978 Saint Kitts and Nevis won a second championship. After 1984 Jamaica began to participate more regularly and, from 1989 onwards, they replaced Trinidad and Tobago as the dominant team, winning nearly every tournament they entered.
AFNA Championships In 1994, the Caribbean Netball Association and the Americas Federation of Netball Associations hosted a joint tournament and Canada and the United States were invited to enter for the first time. Later AFNA tournaments served as qualifiers for both Netball at the Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup.
Tournaments West Indies Netball Championship Tournaments Host Winners Runners up1954 1958 Dominica 1959 Montserrat 1960 1961 1965 Dominica 1970 1971 ?? 1972 Saint Kitts 1973 1974 1975
Caribbean Netball Championships Tournaments Host Winners Runners up 3rd 1977 ?? 1978 1980 Saint Kitts 1981 1982 1983 1984 Dominica1985 Nevis1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Montserrat
AFNA Championships Tournaments Host Winners Runners up 3rd1994 1996 Saint Kitts 19971998 2000 Nevis 2001 Dominica 2004 2005 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018
Notes In 1984 Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines finished as joint runners-up. However, Barbados had the better goal difference. In both 1992 and 1993 Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines finished as joint winners. In 1994 goal difference was introduced to decide final positions. The 2005 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2006 Commonwealth Games qualifier. The 2006 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2007 World Netball Championships qualifier. The 2008 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2010 Commonwealth Games qualifier. The 2012 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2014 Commonwealth Games qualifier. The 2014 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2015 Netball World Cup qualifier. The 2018 AFNA Championships also counted as a 2019 Netball World Cup qualifier.
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