The head of the Barbados Netball Association (BNA) says there is no major problem with discipline in the sport, but she plans to revisit the association’s constitution to see where governance improvements can be made.
“I just want it to be clear that the indiscipline is in the minority,” BNA president Nisha Cummings said in a recent telephone interview.
“It might be a one-off incident and we highlight it and it appears as though netballers are generally undisciplined, which is far from the case.
“We’ve had one incident this season which has gone before the Disciplinary Committee. That is not to say there weren’t other things. Generally speaking, we don’t have a whole set of persons who are undisciplined in the sport. I just want to dispel that myth.
“It has a lot to do with how it is highlighted in the social media and the media itself.”
That incident involved the coach of Spooners Hill, Alwyn Babb, who was suspended last month for the rest of the season after a court-side run-in with umpire Tony Brathwaite.
Cummings said the association would welcome a season without indiscipline and would be looking at the constitution to see where they could tighten up the rules governing the sport.
In looking back at the recently concluded season, the president said they would be trying to bring a bigger Fast5 Competition next year. The shortened form of the game was introduced by the BNA this season and Spooners Hill took the overall prize.
“I was pleased with the Fast5. What we need to review is how we can attract more teams. A lot of teams stayed back.
“It was the first time Fast5 was played under BNA rules and they were not familiar with the rules, even the umpires were not familiar with the rules.
“We need to look at how to attract more teams, even how we reward [places] one, two and three. This was a winner-take-all format.”
The Division One League competition also received a tweaking. Instead of the team with the most points automatically being crowned champions, the top four advanced to a play-off where second-placed CO Williams Rangers beat knockout champions Pine Hill St Barnabas, who had played unbeaten.
The clubs will decide if this format will be used again next season.
“We are doing this for the betterment of the sport,” Cummings said. “The clubs are the ones that have put us in office so we have to do what is best for the majority of persons.
“It is not always going to be a popular decision, but we have to do what is best for the sport.”
