Training Of Netball Officials Kicks Off In Utoka Community

Posted by Eric Ojo Latest Headlines, Sports News Saturday, July 9th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Community Sport and Education Development (CSED) Initiative, has started its training programmes for netball officials in Utoka Town, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The event is part of CSED’S plan to bring netball to the attention of one million Nigerian school children/youth before the end of 2027.

The two-day basic netball training event for Physical Health Education (PHE) Teachers and community youth, empowered 21 new netball officials.

The training which is the first to be held in Nigeria by Nigerian trained netball coaches who are certified by Netball Africa, is aimed majorly at beneficiaries who netball practitioners involved in both theory and the practical aspect of the game.

Six of the coaches were led by Nigeria’s ex-international football star, Edema Fuludu, who took the trainees through basic netball drills which include netball rules, warming up drills, netball positions, passing and catching the ball, dodging, marking, shooting the ball and footwork/movement as well as game planning.

Utoka Town Hall was used as the venue for the theory aspect of the training, while the practical aspect of the event was held at the playground of Utoka Primary School.

Notably, PHE Teachers from 6 primary and secondary schools in Utoka Dukedom, three students of Utoka Community Secondary School and community youths from adjoining towns (Urumwun and Ovah) participated in the training event.

The Enogie of Utoka, HRH, Ambassador Airomwanbor Ogiemwonyi was the host of the event and he ensured that everything went smoothly.

At the end of the event, basic netball kits/equipment (netball rims, training bibs, whistles and netball balls) were presented to PHE Teachers of the six participating schools and representatives of Utoka and the other adjoining communities.

Meanwhile, the CSED Initiative) hopes to use the lessons learned from this successful maiden event to fine tune their other upcoming series of two-day netball training programmes which will be held in other towns across the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.

“This event is a good example of the organizers attempt to gradually develop netball from the grassroots level in Nigeria”, the statement stressed.

Meanwhile, netball is played by more than twenty million people all over the world, Netball is a usual feature in the Commonwealth Games and the organizers of the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane (Australia) is currently exploring with the IOC; the possibility of including netball as one of the events of the 2032 Olympic Games.

It may however, be recalled that in the 1960s and 70s, netball was played in girls’ secondary school and Teachers Training Colleges all over Nigeria. At that point in time, female football was a novelty event, while netball was vying for superiority with athletics and handball. Among female students in Nigeria, netball was more widely played than basketball in Nigeria during that era.

Interestingly, since March 2015, when a representative of CSED Initiative held a formal meeting with staff of the INF in their headquarters in Manchester, CSED’s effort at reviving the game of netball in Nigeria has been deliberately blocked by some sports administrators in Abuja who will not do anything to promote the game, but will want to use netball to maintain their post-retirement relevance in the sport ecosystem in Nigeria.

CSED’s founder, Mr. Cornelius Ehimiaghe said in spite of these hindrance, the initiative has not relented in its effort to promote the right of Nigerian girls to play netball.