Nicknamed the ‘Calypso Girls’, the high-energy squad of 12 players is pumping itself up before and between matches with a special soundtrack native to the Caribbean archipelago of 1.5 million people.  

“Trinidad is alive with calypso for Carnival and stuff," said goal keeper Shaniya Morgan (pictured right, competing for the ball against Jamaica). "We always play calypso music.

“Our team chose a song called Encore, by Machel Montano, and that's our mantra before coming on to the court. It says this year is our best performance.”

Calypso - an upbeat genre based on call-and-response singing and a syncopated rhythm - originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the late 18th century, and Montano is recognised for globally popularising soca, an offshoot of the musical style.

His chorus line in Encore - "Give them performance, make them applaud us" - has been taken to heart by the nation's netballers after a scheduling clash with the Central American and Caribbean Games taking place in the Dominican Republic left team management with some tough choices.  

“It was a really hard decision," said Morgan, who is making her Commonwealth Games debut and plays for Soul City back home.

"The coaches chose the teams and I think they pushed this team for the experience, as the players on our team are younger.

“Their Games (in Santo Domingo) hasn’t started yet, so they are looking at us. The time difference is five hours behind us, but they still wake up whatever time the game is to support us.

“We do have local netball leagues in Trinidad and Tobago, and there are many players. I mean, it's not as competitive as the Commonwealth Games (but) any team we put out does their best regardless. They just need to rise to the occasion.”

Nichola Gill, one of the players from the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games side who has been elevated to the senior team, said the separated squads of Trinidad and Tobago were keeping in touch and “messaging every day”.

Of the 12 players in Glasgow, four are aged 17 or under.

“It's a bit difficult, because we don't have so much of a big pool to choose from, so it was kind of a strain but we made it through,” Gill said after Tuesday’s loss to Wales, which leaves the Calypso Girls rooted to the bottom of Pool B ahead of Thursday’s clash with New Zealand.

“We had a lot of mishaps and so we need to go back to the drawing board to fix those. Against New Zealand, we just need to take our time and we'll probably improve as we go on. Our aim is to improve throughout the tournament.”

Despite the challenge of fielding separate teams on different continents, Morgan has enjoyed her time at the Commonwealth Games - with one proviso.

“It's been a surreal experience,” she said. “I love Scotland, actually. The food can be better, but I love it regardless.”