STAR Sunshine Girls player Jhaniele Fowler leaves Jamaica today for New Zealand where she will be playing professional netball in the ANZ professional league.

Fowler will be on a one-year contract with the Southern Steel netball franchise and will be their goal shooter.

“The season will start in March and I will be involved in pre-season training up until then,” Fowler said.

She added: “I am taking all my experience and skills to my club and I expect to perform well for them. I am very excited by what lies ahead, but I am a little sad to be leaving my loved ones, especially my little girl. I also want to reassure everyone that I will be playing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and of course the World Championship in 2015 if I am selected. I am committed to the Sunshine Girls.”

Fowler said that she was grateful to have been approached by Southern Steel and was happy to parade her skills at the professional level in New Zealand in the prestigious ANZ series.

When asked about remuneration she said: “I will be reasonably well paid at Southern Steel.”

Meanwhile, Jamaica Netball Association President Marva Bernard said that it is with mixed reaction that she is seeing Jhaniele go. “We will miss her a lot for the England series in April, but it is really fantastic for her to be going to New Zealand to play professional netball. I am as happy for her stint Down Under as I was for Romelda Aiken’s. And, of course, I am pleased with her commitment to the Sunshine Girls for 2014 and 2015.

Bernard added: “I would like to add that we are working hard to establish pro netball here in Jamaica to afford more local players to participate in the sport at a professional level.”