Netball Around the World

IFNA is proud to support the Netball Ethiopia Project. Netball South West and Budehaven Community School are raising funds to send a group of around 25 people to Assosa in March 2011. The party will include teachers and PE students from Budehaven Community School together with Regional Excel players and netball coaches from the Netball South West region. The aim is to deliver a massive coaching programme to teachers in the Assossa area of Ethiopia so as to provide netball coaches in all the local schools. The group will also coach players from schools in Assossa; for the girls of Ethiopia playing netball will provide the opportunity for a massive boost for their lifestyle, as females in Ethiopia generally have little choice in how their lives are developed. In simple terms, a massive number of Ethiopian teaching staff and young girls will benefit from this project. In addition to coaching, the project aims to provide resources not only in the form of kit but also coaching resources, all of which has to be transported to Assossa. This trip will cost £25,000 and they are looking for funds and kit and equipment donations. Further information on how you can support can be found on the Netball South West website. http://www.netballsouthwest.co.uk/netball-ethiopia.html



Former Netball Fiji coaches Megan Simpson and Margaret Corbett have been seconded to the country's World Championship campaign and have been tasked with identifying suitable teams to face Fiji when the squad tours Australia in March. Fiji will also tour New Zealand as the squad seeks match practice and increased court time ahead of the Singapore competition.



South Africa's new coaching panel has completed its first training camp with the Proteas and the players have expressed their approval for the new set up, which will be in charge to the World Championships. Former South African head coach Elize Kotze will work with Berta de Kock, Reg Sharp and Professor Chipea, each of whom has been given specific responsibilities as the squad prepares for competition.



Tanzania's netball association Chaneta has resolved its issues with Zanzibar counterpart Chaneza after the Mainland and Isles' sports councils convened a reconciliation meeting in Dar Es Salaam earlier this week. As a result, the Union Netball League, which features teams from both countries, is expected to take place this season after its suspension in 2010.



Jamaican shooter Romelda Aiken has received a last minute visa which will allow her to rejoin the Queensland Firebirds for the new season of the ANZ Championships, which starts in two weeks. Aiken, a previous competition MVP, has been stranded in Jamaica while the details of her visa were worked out by officials. Meanwhile another Jamaican, Carla Borrego, is expected to arrive in Adelaide for training with her Thunderbirds team mates on Monday, after late problems with her paperwork were ironed out at the last minute. On arrival, she will meet Cody Lange,who was this week announced as the youngest ever player to take part in the ANZ Championships when she was named as replacement for Jasmine Keene. Lange, still only 16 years of age, impressed in the Thunderbirds' pre-season warm up games and is a current member of the Australian U17 squad.



Still with the ANZ Championship build up, there was good news for New Zealand's Southern Steel this week, with the announcement that shooter Daneka Wipiiti has only sprained her ankle, rather than fracturing it. Silver Fern Wipiiti, who sustained the injury during a pre-season tournament in Queenstown, is now battling to be fit for the start of the season on 13 February 2011.



Congratulations to Dilmun Champion A, who this week secured back to back championship titles in the Bahrain Netball League with a 42-19 win over chief title rivals British Club A. The Bahrain Netball Association will be organising a friendly knockout tournament for all clubs in the area before the season ends in April. And in Jamaica, defending champions Mona, together with St Patrick's and St Benedict's have all registered two wins from two games in the INSPORTS-sponsored Kingston and St Andrews Primary School League, which includes 26 schools teams from across the island.