No delay!

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has once again failed to deliver a Netball title at the regional level.

The latest is this country’s third place in the ECCB OECS Under-23 Competition, two weekends ago in Nevis. The failure by the Under-23 outfit has extended the lean run by national Netball teams. The last time we were in national Netball glee was in 2007, when the said Under-23’s lifted the OECS crown.{{more}}

Surely, it was not one of our better outings at that age level at the sub regional scale. To be beaten by Grenada by 20 goals points to a definite slippage in the team’s fortunes. Three years ago, our Under-16 team lost to Dominica, so it is not overnight.

What is most worrying, though, is that the squad that travelled to Nevis was made up of seven players with senior national experience. This gives us an indication of where we are. No longer are we the gurus at the sub-regional level, as the other teams are slowly creeping up on us, and others have gone by.

In addition, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is now ranked 15th on the IFNA table. This means we are fourth in the Caribbean, behind Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados in that order. This is instructive as last year, this country finished one from bottom in the six team AFNA tournament, only bettering Canada. Of note, too, we were beaten by St. Lucia, which is another good indicator of the present state of our Netball.

So the time has come to push the button as major decisions are to be made about the future of Netball here.

Where then are we going wrong?

It seems that our administrators are not keeping up with the times, hence this trickles down to the players. We appear to be at our wits ends whenever we venture out on the regional scale, and it has gone now to the sub-regional scene.

Comments made at the closing match between Mitres/TRAC and Maple two weekends ago led me to think that there is something fundamentally wrong with regard to the interpretation of the rules. Or is it that officials here are somewhat lenient to the players? Or are the players not taught the rules?

In addition, the game is not attracting many new young players, as the same faces are seen at almost every local competition.

And, have we developed a style of play that is identifiably ours?

Remedy

Netball, therefore, is not only in dire need of a facial, but a complete make over, and open heart surgery as well.

Let us get back to what made us what we were then in regional Netball. Back then, Netball for many of the girls started in the primary schools. The primary schools’ competition was the breeding ground for the emergence of national Netballers.

Yes, there is one today, but how much training do the young girls get? Also, how many teachers are interested in sports any way? How much emphasis is placed on sports in the schools? How many schools participate? And, how much emphasis is paid on preparations?

Seeking out the available talent is also foremost. We have lapsed terribly in this regard. Tall players should be identified early, and trained if we are to be competitive at the regional scale. When found, they should be granted incentives such as assistance with their education as they progress in the sport. This must be the way to go. Other territories have moved ahead of us by systematically developing players. This was evident at the recent Under-23 competition as St. Kitts, and Grenada’s shooters dwarfed our defences.

This column will continue to call for the Netball authorities to do away with the forty odd teams in the National Club Tournament and have a real tournament with clubs that are serious about playing at the top level. Surely, these are not reactionary proposals, because our Under-23 lasses did not regain the title. This column has previously called for an in depth look into the state of Netball, as it in the past brought us much glory and recognition. Remember the days when we were seen as a few miles away from the best in the world. Today, we are light years behind.

There is also no delay in the call for the removal of that “Mound” at the Sion Hill Playing Field.

email: kingroache@yahoo.com