From the sideline

IN-FIGHTING among sport administrators is widespread around the globe but at least it is controlled in such a manner that it does not affect the performance of teams or athletes.

In Namibia, infighting among administrators is indeed a tradition because everyone wants power. Of course, personal differences are a daily occurrence in any organisation, but in some Namibian sports circles, it is so deeply rooted that it has become the norm.The biggest casualties of all these fights among the administrators are the athletes or the players.A case in point is netball.Netball administrators, with Carol Garoes as the head, have denied players a chance to be exposed to international events, let alone domestic competitions, in their attempts to carve out careers for themselves in the sport.The All Namibia Netball Association (ANNA) has been the topic of many discussions in the media, on the playing fields and in boardrooms because of its poor administration.The major cause why ANNA is not serving its purpose is the constant infighting among its members, who all want to be at the helm of the association.ANNA has failed the entire nation by not acting as responsible custodians of the game, after the members were entrusted with the duty of ensuring that the sport grows domestically, becomes a force in the region and participates internationally.The sport is classified as one of the ‘A codes’ in the country and is receiving a huge chunk from the sports budget to organise its activities, which should be centred primarily around the development of the game in the country.This development is not visible, apart from the schools’ leagues that are taking place, which in any case are run by the schools themselves.There are no premiership leagues in the country, except for the Khomas Region which has three leagues.No-one knows who the coaches of the national teams are, and what about the players who are supposed to be in those teams? Ask any of the administrators about the players who last played for the national side – they will not remember.Basic things such as which player has the most caps for the national team, who are the young talents that are coming through the ranks and which competitions are lined up for the national team during the year, are not known.The national team is virtually non-existent and it apparently needs to prepare for the Youth Games to be held in Namibia later this year.When are the trials and what criteria will be used to select this team, because most players in the regions are being left out.Maybe the netball authorities should stop fighting among each other and look to football for an example how they should try to get their house in order.Football was in a total state of chaos, with poor administration affecting the performance of the national teams, but now they are trying to fix that as they are hunting for a top coach to lead the Brave Warriors.The football administration, although not as well-oiled as those of cricket or swimming, is on the right path to make football the number one sport in the country again.The netball authorities should stop running the game as if it is their households and look at ways how to put the players first instead of their own interests.The game needs to step up a gear by bringing professional people into their ranks to develop the game especially in the regions.The national teams are in need of a resurrection because there is an abundance of unexposed talented players around the country who can serve the national teams.The association should look at getting themselves a sponsor that will at least pump in some money to make it more lucrative for the teams and the players by hosting tournaments.The current administration, if there is any, should asks itself whether it is up to the task of bringing this sport out of its current sorry state.Regional representatives who are going to the congress on April 1 have to make wise choices in electing their new leaders.Of course, personal differences are a daily occurrence in any organisation, but in some Namibian sports circles, it is so deeply rooted that it has become the norm.The biggest casualties of all these fights among the administrators are the athletes or the players.A case in point is netball.Netball administrators, with Carol Garoes as the head, have denied players a chance to be exposed to international events, let alone domestic competitions, in their attempts to carve out careers for themselves in the sport.The All Namibia Netball Association (ANNA) has been the topic of many discussions in the media, on the playing fields and in boardrooms because of its poor administration.The major cause why ANNA is not serving its purpose is the constant infighting among its members, who all want to be at the helm of the association.ANNA has failed the entire nation by not acting as responsible custodians of the game, after the members were entrusted with the duty of ensuring that the sport grows domestically, becomes a force in the region and participates internationally.The sport is classified as one of the ‘A codes’ in the country and is receiving a huge chunk from the sports budget to organise its activities, which should be centred primarily around the development of the game in the country.This development is not visible, apart from the schools’ leagues that are taking place, which in any case are run by the schools themselves.There are no premiership leagues in the country, except for the Khomas Region which has three leagues.No-one knows who the coaches of the national teams are, and what about the players who are supposed to be in those teams? Ask any of the administrators about the players who last played for the national side – they will not remember.Basic things such as which player has the most caps for the national team, who are the young talents that are coming through the ranks and which competitions are lined up for the national team during the year, are not known.The national team is virtually non-existent and it apparently needs to prepare for the Youth Games to be held in Namibia later this year.When are the trials and what criteria will be used to select this team, because most players in the regions are being left out.Maybe the netball authorities should stop fighting among each other and look to football for an example how they should try to get their house in order.Football was in a total state of chaos, with poor administration affecting the performance of the national teams, but now they are trying to fix that as they are hunting for a top coach to lead the Brave Warriors.The football administration, although not as well-oiled as those of cricket or swimming, is on the right path to make football the number one sport in the country again.The netball authorities should stop running the game as if it is their households and look at ways how to put the players first instead of their own interests.The game needs to step up a gear by bringing professional people into their ranks to develop the game especially in the regions.The national teams are in need of a resurrection because there is an abundance of unexposed talented players around the country who can serve the national teams.The association should look at getting themselves a sponsor that will at least pump in some money to make it more lucrative for the teams and the players by hosting tournaments.The current administration, if there is any, should asks itself whether it is up to the task of bringing this sport out of its current sorry state.Regional representatives who are going to the congress on April 1 have to make wise choices in electing their new leaders.