The Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) has announced a netball coaching, development and tournament programme for girls aged 19 and under, to be implemented across the country from 2 April – 6 June. The programme, to be staged in collaboration with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), will start in Rawalpindi and then be rolled out to Gujranwala, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana.
In addition to offering coaching tuition for school sports teachers, the programme will ensure that international rules are being adhered to across the country. A tournament, to be played throughout the programme, will allow selection of squads of 12 players from each of the cities, who will take part in the ASC Junior National Girls Championships, to be held in Islamabad from 2-6 June.
The IFNA Board met in Singapore this week, and was very pleased with the progress and preparations made for the World Netball Championships, to be held there in July 2011. IFNA President Molly Rhone, who was impressed with the Singaporeans’ organisational skills and hospitality, will return in December when the draw for the competition will take place. Ticket packages, which were released at the start of the month, are already selling well: for further information and ticket details, please visit www.wnc2011.com.
Ms Rhone has now travelled to Jamaica, as a guest at the 100th ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys/Girls Championships, the biggest track and field competition for schoolchildren in the world. 35,000 spectators will attend over the four day competition, which has been credited with launching the careers of many international stars, including current world sprint champion Usain Bolt.
Netball South Africa has this week announced a significant sponsorship deal, worth approximately R1 million ($134,000 US), with equipment supplier Mitre involved with the South African national side until December 2012.
In other sponsorship news, Netball Fiji is expected to announce a new sponsorship deal this weekend, which will allow the island to participate in the Pacific Cup, to be played in the Cook Islands in June. However, Tanzanian netball’s governing body, Chaneta, has announced that it is struggling to raise the 60 m TZS (approx $44,000 US) required to fund the country’s planned tour for its national side (the Taifa Queens) to the UK in April. Chaneta has named a 20 player squad for the tour, which aims to improve Tanzania’s playing standards ahead of qualifying competitions for the 2011 World Championships.
On the court, the third ANZ Championships started this week, with reigning champions Melbourne Phoenix returning to the court in style, defeating New Zealand’s Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic 48-40 to top the table after week one. The Canterbury Tactix (54-48 against the Central Pulse), Sydney Swifts (50-47 against the Queensland Firebirds), Northern Mystics (55-52 against the Adelaide Thunderbirds) and Southern Steel (46-44 against the West Coast Fever) were the other first round winners.
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