Netball South Africa (NSA) President Mimi Mthethwa says development is a “crucial element” to having an exciting Netball Professional League (NPL).
With preparations ahead of the inaugural season of the NPL moving along at top speed, Mthethwa spoke to gsport in a wide-ranging interview to be published on Sunday, expressing thoughts on a range of vital issues, including development.
“NSA now has two wings,” says Mthethwa emphasising that, in addition to the massive effort required to get the eagerly-awaited pro league off the ground, a resolute allocation of resources to the NSA’s development structures and programs are in place, including talent identification, training workshops and courses, from feeder tournaments to the national champs and ultimately the international competitions.
Mthethwa notes that despite the achievements of NSA’s official programmes, the concept of development is a complex one, which requires further attention.
“Development is seen as a crucial element to having an exciting NPL,” explains Mthethwa, “We need good technical officials as well as good players, so NSA’s tasks will not be neglected.
“For me, the most serious transformation gap that we have failed to close is addressing the social issues that make our players of colour look like they are second-best when it comes to performance, especially in sport that was predominantly ‘white’ sport,” says Mthethwa.
“For any athlete to get to being a world-class athlete nowadays requires a lot of support, scientific sport to be exact. But before one gets to scientific support, there are more pressing issues that most players of colour have to deal with.”
Illustrating the difficulty of the situation, Mthethwa argues; “If we agree that all children have the right to play any sport, excel in it and then choose to live out of it, then we must make sure that each child has a proper home, gets proper food on daily basis, has a conducive family background and unit, has a mentor/coach, and plays and competes regularly.”
Check back in at gsport.co.za on Sunday, 27 January for the full interview with NSA President Mimi Mthethwa, or follow gsport on facebook and twitter for links as soon as it’s published.
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