by SHERRYLYN CLARKE

AFTER 30 YEARS in administration of the Barbados Netball Association (BNA), Annette Beckett is proud of the structure which has been left in place for future administrators.

In a recent interview with MIDWEEK SPORT, Beckett, the immediate past president, said this was the legacy she had left behind.

"We had a constitution, but since I was president, we had it revamped three times and now everything is written down," she said.

That includes a template on how to run a league, selection policy for national teams, how to score, how to keep
time and the umpires manual.

"Whoever picks up the netball association has the good fortune to look at documents and choose what they want," Beckett said.

She started in netball administration in 1976, but her greatest contribution came as president where she served for 13 unbroken years from 1993 to 2006. She chose not to return at the end of the last term, and banker Octavia Gibson now leads the BNA.

Beckett said another high point would've been in 2003 when the Barbados senior team was rated seventh in the world and again in 2005 when the Under-16 team won their first Caribbean Under-16 title.

However, there were also some low points.

"My major regret is that we had to legislate the change to the constitution and we were trying to influence the clubs to put the people on the board with the correct profile instead of them realising it," she said.

"Netball is played in every secondary school, 90 per cent of primary schools, in every parish, throughout the country, but I don't think we have the numbers in the domestic league to reflect that because there is too much duplication.

"The same players are taking part in the Barbados Workers' Union Competition and the IDC Competition. Our pool was about 500 or so when I took over and now it is up to about 1 200. I think that is an area we need to spend some time trying to work out why we can't get more players."

Beckett said since the demise of the National Sports Council Frutee League, there was no natural transition to the league from the schools, unless a coach spotted a player and invited her to play with a team.

While Beckett is no longer involved at the local level, she has not totally left the game and is a director with the International Federation of Netball Associations.

She also said this was one of the highlights of her career, since she was chosen by the rest of the world and not by the region. Jamaicans Molly Rhone, who is the president, and treasurer Marva Bernard, are also on the board.

They are hoping to show the rest of the netball fraternity that while Australia and New Zealand have more wealth and a better infrastructure, this region also had "something to bring to the table".

"With the type of netball we play, we have the right to say what rules we play under. At the last rule change, for the first time, the region had an impact on the rules and I hope that is so in 2007," Beckett said.