Something has to give in netball

Year after year, forum after forum, the general talk, as it relates to netball here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), is that there needs to be a concerted and conscious effort to make the sport if not great, at least good again.

But the talks have remained in a tone of monotony, to the point that it is clichéd.{{more}}

Notwithstanding the fact that two years ago, an attempt was made to have the Strategic Plan of the SVG Netball Association discussed and flesh put on the framework of the structure.

Commendable effort, however, none of the plans, proposals and projections have come to fruition, as we are still at square one, or have even regressed. So, we are in 2016, where the highest achievement in netball is that of a local tournament at the national level.

A primary schools’ competition and one for the secondary, both juniors and seniors, cater for the developmental, growth and talent identification aspects of our netball.

These add to the proliferation of area tournaments strewn all over St Vincent and the Grenadines. The state of netball in St Vincent and the Grenadines can be best gauged by the fact that there are only four teams in the top flight of the national tournament.

Whilst this correctly tells the tale, most significant though, is that either Maple or Mitres has won the top division for over 10 years now. This is compounded by both teams fielding about 95 per cent of the same players during the last decade. Except for the rare instances, it is only when these two teams meet that there is some atmosphere at the Kingstown Netball Centre and some semblance that there is true competition taking place.

A closer analysis, too, would show that Maple remains a force to be reckoned with, despite having most of their starting seven being over the age of 40 or close to that.

Bundled together, such is a clear indicator that there is no forward movement, save and except for the sporadic entries to the Caribbean Netball Association Under-16 tournament and St Vincent and the Grenadines’ participation in the durable OECS Under-26 championships.

For the past five years or so, St Vincent and the Grenadines has not had a ranking on the world stage, as they have either altogether not been engaged in the minimum eight matches needed, or have fallen short.

The set-up which currently holds for netball in the Caribbean works against us, as ranked teams are reluctant to come here and play on our asphalt courts. On the other hand, travelling overseas is often negated and flattened by administrators of the sport, who have continuously harped on the lack of finance to see through participation in tours and tournaments.

Yet, they are forgetting that women have the know-how to raise funds through various ventures.

This, however, is being reversed by the route taken in the recent past to depend solely on government funding and other handouts from the corporate community.

With what has been the normal course of things for the past decade, netball has evolved into merely a recreational activity. The time has gone when it was the go-to sport for females here and that distinguishing feature that epitomized women’s achievement in sport. No longer is netball the stepping pillar for young women to use as the conduit for basketball scholarships at US colleges. This is compounded as well by the downturn in basketball also on the national stage, hence relegating the impact of netball on the sporting landscape.

Now lodged between a rock and a hard place, something has to give, as either we stick in the current mode of operations, or put the necessary systems in place to make a resurgence and add meaning to netball in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

First up in bringing back some life to netball, those who recruit young players must redouble their efforts in getting them introduced to the sport, as it is not a ready done affair. Socialization practices in schools and in the communities have changed and the natural gravitation to netball is totally non-existent.

Young females today know little of netball, as they have grown up in a time when the sport is on its downward path. Therefore, netball for starters has to be tweaked to become entertaining and fun-filled to attract those with some interest. This will mean developing a structure of talent identification, progress tracking, competitions, target objectives and over all coaching, whereby the best coaches will work with the beginners. It is expected then that the other facets needed for a chartered course for netball will also fall into place.

If, however, we agree to stay in that recreational gear, then all is fine, and argument done.