SVG set for AFNA qualifiers in 2014

After missing the 2012 edition, St Vincent and the Grenadines is destined to participate in next year’s Americas Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) tournament, slated for Canada.{{more}}

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association (SVGNA) Dellarice Duncan, reiterated her executive’s intent last Friday, as she welcomed the victorious St Vincent and the Grenadines Under-23 team back home, after they had copped the 2013 ECCB/OECS title in Antigua and Barbuda.

Duncan noted that the Under-23 players will form the “core” of the team.

During her address at the closing and presentation ceremony of the 2013 LIME National Club Netball Tournament recently, Duncan disclosed the SVGNA’s intention to re-join the AFNA set up.

St Vincent and the Grenadines opted out of the 2012 tournament staged in Trinidad and Tobago because of financial constraints.

“ … Come next year, we are hoping to participate in the AFNA qualifiers in Canada …. We look forward to the support of you, our affiliates, and the general public, as we embark on an aggressive fund raising campaign,” Duncan stated.

The last time St Vincent and the Grenadines participated in the AFNA qualifiers was in 2010, when the tournament was held in St Lucia.

The non-participation of St Vincent and the Grenadines in such tournaments has meant that this country does not have an International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) world ranking.

IFNA stipulates that netball playing countries must play a minimum of eight matches during the rating period, inclusive of two matches against a ranked team at the senior level, in order to be listed on the rankings table.

Additionally, if a team has played fewer than eight matches, they will still have a rating, but without a corresponding ranking.

At present, St Vincent and the Grenadines falls into the rating system.

The netball head also said that her executive will be working towards being full participants of activities put on by the Caribbean Netball Association, as the regional body commemorates its 60th anniversary in March, 2014.(RT)