NETBALL’S REBUILDING STRATEGIES IN FOCUS
Netball has long been one of this country’s major sport, established formally in the 1950s. The sport’s Vincentian history reflects some major successes and unfortunate lows but the national governing body, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association (SVGNA) has never been daunted, holding its place as one of the most active local associations.
The SVGNA’s most recent initiative focuses on a rebuilding of the sport in the nation’s rural communities. This began a few weeks ago in Fancy and will move on to Georgetown later this month.
Looking back
The SVGNA has the highest level of female participation in sport in our country. This has been the case for several decades through to the current period.
Over the years our netballs have been amongst the top teams in the Caribbean with historic defeats over Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Our representative teams once dominated the game in the OECS subregion but has faced increasing challenges at the Caribbean level, now easily and consistently dominated by Jamaica at the senior and Junior levels.
Under the leadership tenure of Gloria Ballantyne, the SVGNA received support from the Prime Foundation for Sport, Stanley ‘Stalky’ John, Festus Toney, the East Caribbean Group of Companies and several other private sector institutions and notable Vincentian personalities, in the realisation of its official headquarters at New Montrose.
The SVGNA became the first national sports association to be incorporated and possess its own home. Since then, it has become commonplace for local associations to get incorporated.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary the SVGNA’s annual National Tournament featured 52 registered teams, an historic achievement, to mark the milestone.
For many years, following the conclusion of the annual Inter Secondary Schools Netball competition, a national squad was selected and participate in the annual Netball Tournament, in preparation for the annual Windward Islands Schools Games (WISG). Not surprisingly, the planning and preparation of the team saw them winning their segment of the WISG for several years in succession.
Importantly, over the years in existence, the SVGNA has consistently addressed the training of umpires. Moet Gaymes has distinguished himself in the field of netball umpiring, even as he continues to do in football. The Searchlight online newspaper dated 27 January 2023, wrote, ‘On Monday, January 24, 2023, World Netball announced the appointment of Vincentian Moeth Gaymes as an International Talent Identified Umpire (ITID). Gaymes, who has been umpiring within the region for over 10 years, has gone through the various stages of both written and practical assessment, and with this appointment. He is poised to umpire matches for teams ranked 11 and below, as well as international youth events.’
The online newspaper also quoted president of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Netball Association, Natasha Baptiste, ‘great achievements are accomplished through hard work, dedication and commitment and Mr. Gaymes is a true demonstration of such. This appointment continues to elevate the sport of Netball in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, not just on the field of play but also in the area of officiating. We trust that Moeth’s achievement would be a motivation and encouragement to our young umpires.’
In its edition of 13 September 2024, the Vincentian newspaper wrote, ‘Moeth Gaymes has become St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ first International Netball Umpire. This was announced on Thursday, September 5, 2024, by the sport’s governing body – World Netball.’
The SVGNA now holds Gaymes as an example to the country’s netball fraternity of what is possible in other areas of the sport apart from being an athlete on the court.
The new thrust
On Saturday 19 August 2026, the SVGNA commenced its latest initiative aimed at rebuilding the sport across the. nation’s communities with a session at the Fancy hardcourt.
SVGNA President, Natasha Samuel, addressing Fancy participants
President Natasha Samuel and contingent of senior netballers, including Skiddy Francis-Crick and officials including international netball umpire, Moet Gaymes, journeyed to Fancy and conducted training sessions for children and umpire training for adults. This was the first of eight such training programmes that will take place in Fancy.
Interestingly, one of the persons who participated in the umpires’ training session was Parliamentary representative for the area, Shevern John, a long time sport enthusiast.
President Samuel has indicated that another eight training sessions will be held in Georgetown.
The intention of the SVGNA is to spend time and resources on developing the talented individuals in the rural areas. It is about reaching out to them where they live and convincing them that with appropriate training, they can become successful netballers who can represent St Vincent and the Grenadines in the future, just as individuals from any other part of the country.
One of the important features of sport in St Vincent and the Grenadines is the large number of athletes in different sports who learnt and perfected their skill competencies in the rural areas.
Young Fancy children being taken through their paces
Community reconstruction through sport
There is now a deliberate effort on the part of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC) to firmly establish Sport Development in tandem with Sport for Development, placing sport as a central pillar of national development.
With significant fewer distractions, rural areas are a good breeding ground for building genuine communities that integrate their entire populations.
Traditional values are still very much in vogue in rural communities and through sport and its capacity to bring people together, solidarity is all the more sustainable.
In the recently concluded Sport for All leadership development Workshops, the SVGOC trained personnel from seven communities, each of which has developed a project which has to be executed before the end of the year.
With netball, as a national sport federation, conducting training in both Fancy and Georgetown over a 16-week period, close monitoring and evaluation of the process and outcomes could readily yield a novel approach to community development through sport.
Importantly, effort will be made to encourage other national sports associations to collaborate with each other in sport for development even as they all strive to develop their respective sport.
Importantly, the SVGOC is eager to work with all of its members to engage sport across communities in St Vincent and the Grenadines, strengthening the positive impact that this would have on Vincentians and national well-being.
Netball has already begun a process that can easily be replicated across the nation, allowing for sport to be central to an emerging sporting culture that can reshape our development strategies and build a more wholesome St Vincent and the Grenadines.
