Pay up! Area Netball Committees get guidelines

It will not be business as usual with the administration of Netball in the various area committees, as the Executive of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association (SVGNA) is moving ahead with the streamlining of the areas’ operations.{{more}}

Following a meeting held last month with some of the area committees, several adjustments and regulations were forwarded for implementation.

Among them is the proper affiliation and updated subscription payment to the national association by each area committee.

It was agreed that the committees pay to the SVGNA an affiliation fee of $100.00, along with a subscription of $75.00.

Additionally, each area committee must seek consent and sanction from the SVGNA to host their tournament, and this must come in the form of a letter from the area association.

At the other end, the parent body, the SVGNA, will in turn provide training for the area association umpires every Wednesday in order to build capacity.

As required, area committees are invited to send at least two members to the training sessions, which will be facilitated by Gloria Ballantyne.

The SVGNA is also demanding of the area committees to be accountable. Hence, reports of the committees’ operations with regard to the number of youth teams veterans and seniors teams, and other pertinent information concerning their operations, must be submitted to the parent body.

Area committees are also being encouraged to develop the players and teams within their locale by restricting the number of outside teams and players, especially current national players.

And, the national body for Netball here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be leading by example as a Veteran’s Division will be introduced into the Digicel National Netball Championship 2011, and the area committees are invited to emulate this by introducing one into their particular tournament.

At the other end of the age bracket, the area committees are being mandated to start Youth Development Programmes, specifically targeting the primary school children, ages 10 to13 years old.

With this in train, the SVGNA’s Executive will pitch in and provide guidance where necessary to formulate a structure.

The SVGNA also plans to work closely with the area committees on the growing problems of ill discipline.

Area committees are urged to report extreme cases of ill discipline to the local governing body – so that measures can be taken against these players at the higher level.

President of the SVGNA Godfrey Harry, in outlining the decisions taken, told SEARCHLIGHT that the guidelines are all part of his Executive’s plans to have a better structure for the sport, and ultimately see a rise in the standard of administration and play on the court.

At present there are six area committees which administrate Netball within their communities. They are ASCO, Barrouallie, Calliaqua, Marriaqua, Sion Hill and South Leeward. (RT)