Netball - More emphasis on developing young talents this year |05 May 2017
Given another two-year mandate to lead Seychelles’ netball, Dorothy Isidore has said she intends to bring the sport to the youth and show them what they stand to gain from practicing it.
The aim is to get more youngsters to play netball, said Ms Isidore who added that a training programme is already in place in secondary schools.
Although most of the youngsters do not stay in netball as they grow up as there is “little prospect” Ms Isidore told Sports NATION, she insisted that the Seychelles Netball Association (SNA) wants to bring a team to this year’s World Youth Netball Championship in Gaborone, Botswana in July just to observe and give the young players a feel of high level netball.
“We want to put together a young team. Physical education instructors are tasked to get the youngsters to learn new skills. We won’t be taking part in the World Championships as we were not involved in the qualifiers. But the simple fact of getting the young players to see players of the same age as them in action will serve to boost their morale,” she told Sports NATION.
A former sprinter and volleyballer, Ms Isidore added that they hope to play some friendly matches there if all goes according to plan.
The Netball World Youth Championship is the pinnacle of netball competition for emerging players who are under 21 years of age and the International Federation of Netball (IFN) has held an U21 international competition every four years since 1988.
Ms Isidore has Christianne Sultan as vice-chairperson on the executive committee while the secretary is Marie-Claire Chetty and treasurer Raymonde Bellard. The three ordinary members are Flossy Bonnelame, Jenita Raguin and Josette Cécile.
Meanwhile, two new teams ‒ La Salette and Health Care Team ‒ have registered to take part in this year’s Mohan Shopping Centre-sponsored two-round national league which will begin on Monday May 8 with a game between Health Team and GAM High Flyers.
On Wednesday May 10, Air Fleuri will play FBOA.
Defending champions Scorpions and Praslin Netters are the other two teams in the league.
Matches on Mahé start at 4.30pm on weekdays and are played at the La Promenade court. As for Praslin Netters, when they come to Mahé for matches on Saturdays, they play two games at 11am and 2pm. Mahé-based teams also travel to Praslin for matches.
Sports NATION has also learned that Estella Bau ran two refresher courses for match officials and teams representatives on April 22 and May 2 to update them on rule changes in the sport.
As for Christianne Sultan, she was in Johannesburg, South Africa from March 25-31 to attend a workshop on safeguarding children and young people in netball funded by the IFN.
G. G.