GET WITH IT

Netball teams are urged to get with it or get left behind, as the Executive of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association has taken a firm decision not to allow any unit into its national tournament next year.{{more}}

President of the SVGNA Doris Mc Intosh, who has been an advocate for such a structure since taking office in 2004, made this clear to SEARCHLIGHT last Tuesday.

“If we have only ten clubs, we will still have our tournament”, Mc Intosh said forcibly.

The SVGNA is into its third week of sensitization and training of netball units, with a view to get them to become full fledged clubs.

But according to the Netball chief, some of the units have not been attending the sessions.

She is, therefore, urging the stragglers to get on board soon.

The Association sees the workshops as a way to ensure survival and development of the netball sport here.

The first session of this uphill but worthwhile task of transformation began two Saturdays ago.

Barbadian Annette Beckett, the former director of International Federation of Netball Association (IFNA), facilitated the opening of what will be a five week restructuring process to aid this transformation.

Beckett urged representatives to strive for ownership.

Mc Intosh, in reflecting on the first two sessions, said that things have been going excellently thus far.

Mc Intosh indicated that areas such as minute taking, the constitution, among others, are critical areas which have already been looked at.

According to Mc Intosh, the majority of persons who have been attending the sessions have said that they have learnt a lot.

“People have indicated to me that they have learnt a lot and it is a worthwhile exercise,” Mc Intosh said.

Mc Intosh revealed that local resource persons such as Keith Joseph have added their expertise to the workshops.

Mc Intosh added that this Saturday’s session will see the already established clubs sharing the experiences of survival with those embarking on the new territory.

Sessions will continue every Saturday from 2:00pm at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School until December 6.

Mc Intosh, in addition, indicated that efforts are being made to get the senior national team in action.

“We plan to start doing some fund raising to go to places like Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, who are ranked above us and play against them”, Mc Intosh stated.

IFNA has introduced a ranking system as a measure for country’s participation in major world tournaments.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is ranked 15th, slipping three places from its initial seeding.

Mc Intosh said, in addition, the focus is also on the Under-16 team. (RT)