50 netball stakeholders from around the country gathered in Suva to discuss challenges and workshop solutions to grow the sport in Fiji.
Participants travelled from as far as Savusavu, Taveuni and Koro to be in the one and half day workshop led by Netball Fiji President RubyAnn Sorovaki and her team of Executive Committee members.
The workshop included Presidents and Secretaries of district associations, bench officials, umpires, players, coaches, managers, selectors and staff. An important stakeholder group were those associations that are new and those in the process of revival.
The cross section of stakeholders allowed for broader discussions on roles and responsibilities and growing netball in Fiji. A key question asked was ‘What does success look like’? The answer to which ranged from: having effective office bearers; increasing the number of accredited bench officials, umpires and coaches; the holistic welfare of athletes; new associations competing in the national championship; growing the player base; being a self-sustaining organization and being in the top 10 in the world.
Navitalai Naivalu, President of the Fiji Secondary Schools Netball Association, said ‘The workshop was an opportunity to learn about our roles and responsibilities and how to better run our associations.
‘The workshop helped us identify the responsibility of technical officials while at the same time realizing that districts may not understand what those responsibilities are’ stated Courtney Bitu, the National Technical Officials Manager.
Sulita Nadurutalo from Taveuni Netball and Matai Vasu from Lami Netball, both newly formed associations, took the workshop as an opportunity to learn more about exercising their roles as secretary of their respective associations.
Both diligently took notes on how to better serve in their roles through the sharing of their group members especially Dominiko Tabuarua, Secretary of Suva Netball Association.
The Netball Stakeholders Workshop ended on a high note with calls for continued unity of the netball family. There was also overwhelming support of the Fiji Pearls campaign to the 2023 Pacific Games.
