Netballers deserve better
THE KINGSTOWN NETBALL Centre, the iconic Nutricia Centre as it is also known by many, especially those of yesteryear, has served St Vincent and the Grenadines for many, many moons.
It has been the Mecca for Netball in the country, producing many players who have stamped their imprint on the sport locally, taking St Vincent and the Grenadines to heights regionally.
But the venue, although having served the sport well, no longer suffices the modern demand- aesthetic, amenities and overall infrastructure.
Yes, they have been thankful for small mercies. Yes, there have been running repairs done to the facility over time, but those should not be the comforter for its current state.
At present the court is experiencing some fissures and unevenness as natural events take their toll.
This is, not withstanding the fact that ahead of the hosting of the 1978 Caribbean Netball Association Senior Netball Tournament, the government of the day constructed the Arnos Vale Netball Complex.
Then, that facility was a welcome addition to the sporting stock here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, fitted with its four courts, and with its layout, provided a venue for Netball, Basketball and Volleyball to engage in local and regional competitions.
But that too evolved into an entertainment centre, as parties and other cultural as well as religious functions detoured from its intended objectives of providing that avenue for court sports to thrive.
That too though- almost five decade-, has not seen any significant improvement, save and except for forced repairs caused by natural disasters.
Its state, however, is against the backdrop of plans to build an indoor facility in time for the hosting of the Americas Qualifiers in October of this year.
However, with a change in political administration, that proposal was deferred.
Therefore, netballers have been left in the lurch, literally between a rock and a hard place, as they have to contend with the hard surface at the Kingstown Netball Centre to hone their skills.
They do so without a murmur, whilst maintaining St Vincent and the Grenadines’ prowess in sub-regional Netball.
Their commitment has come at the expense of their physical being as the hard surface has left many netballers contracting inevitably, lifelong joint injuries.
Critically, St Vincent and the Grenadines, in its current state of affairs, will not be looked on favourably as host for any sub- regional or regional Netball tournaments.
That kind of self-determined quandary does not augur well for the Netball fraternity nor the country as a whole, as representatives will always have to travel outside of the country for tournaments.
Unfortunately, this lamentation is not new as, for the past two decades, the issue of St Vincent and the Grenadines erecting some semblance of a covered sporting facility has been a national conversation.
Used conveniently as a political “Football”, successive government and opposition personnel have all weighed in with grandiose promises which are yet to see the light of day.
They have brought the netballers to a protracted standstill and the sport continuously travelling on a plateau.
The struggle remains for the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association as the institutionalized blarney of our politicians has been given another tone but with the same song sheet, a different choir master, and singers.
Given the despair experienced over time, the effective phrase that hope springs eternal is slowly becoming cliched.
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