BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, 15th April 2013 - Scores of past and present netballers, coaches, umpires and management officials converged on the NEMA Conference Room for a Netball Retreat entitled “Celebrating the Past, Enhancing the Future” on Saturday 12th April 2013.
The brain child of members of the famed national netball teams of the 1970’s, the retreat aimed to bring all stakeholders together to chart the way forward for netball in the island. Ably facilitated by Messrs. Denzil Crooke and Alphonso Bridgewater, participants eagerly embraced the task of resetting netball and allowing the once prestigious sport to emerge like a phoenix, using ingenuity, co-operation, passion and creativity.
Along with the initial boost of a pledge of continued support from the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited as League sponsor, several other stakeholders committed themselves to the development of Netball. Most notable was the Minister with responsibility for Sports, the Honourable Glen Phillip’s pledge to facilitate the provision of the services of an international netball coach and umpire, to procure an electronic score board, improvement of court lighting, and assistance with a website design. These initiatives are geared towards the enhancement of the physical structure as well as the ‘rebranding' of the sport of Netball.
The Honourable Marcella Liburd, Minister of Health, Social Services, Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs also committed her Ministry to collaborating with the SKNA in the implementation of personal development programmes which would ensure the physical, mental and emotional well-being of netballers.
Filled with great hope for the future, the newly elected management team, with the support of the ‘Oldie Goldies’ and other stakeholders hope to vigorously pursue plans for a ‘reset.’ To this end the management has already embarked upon the process of restoring the relationship with the Caribbean Netball Association (CNA), and envisages becoming an American Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) member country.
One highlight of the retreat was the tremendous response of the participants when invited to volunteer for various committees. Management believes that this spirit of volunteerism could only redound to the good of the sport as all take ownership of the effort to “celebrate the old, and enhance the new.”
The “Oldie Goldies” and the SKNA, express their gratitude to the stakeholders including the Ministries of Sports and Gender, for their fervent support. We wish to acknowledge the management of the Ocean Terrace Inn for hosting of the President of the CNA and the director and staff of NEMA for usage of its conference facility. We are also grateful to the facilitators, Mr. Denzil Crooke and Mr. Alphonso Bridgewater and to Mrs. Kathy Harper Hall, president of the CNA for her valued participation. Thanks to Mr. Vernon Springer who, in the role of media consultant, provided important information and insights as to the effective utilization of the media in the ‘rebranding’ process. Finally a special thank you is extended to the clubs/schools for their renewed commitment and enthusiasm as we work together to reclaim our position of prestige in the world of Netball.
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