‘It’s something we need to look at seriously’: Netball boss addresses controversial dual role

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Karen Joseph
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By Neto Baptiste

President of the Antigua and Barbuda Netball Association (ABNA) and former world number two goal shoot, Karen Joseph, has admitted that her position as head coach of the senior women’s team is not the most ideal situation but says she was forced into the role.

Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo sports show, Joseph addressed the issue for the first time since the start of the ECCB International Netball Series being held here, pointing to a lack of qualified coaches as one of the main reasons for the decision.

“We don’t have any qualified coaches in Antigua and when you call for help, nobody is showing up even when you have a coaching panel. Last year I went overseas and got help from Lisa who worked with us and because of certain [reasons] she could not come back again this year and that is a sad situation and one that has to be dealt with from our end here. We are still trying and as a matter of a fact I talked to one or two persons who are willing to come on board. I have one or two persons helping here and there but I think it’s something we need to look at seriously,” she said. 

Antigua and Barbuda beat St Lucia 52-29 at the YMCA Sports Complex on Wednesday morning to record their second win in four matches.

Joseph said the association has been making efforts to provide opportunities for coaches and other officials who want to get the necessary qualifications.

“I’ve tried to have many coaching courses here. The last one I had was an umpires’ course we had Bridget Adams from Trinidad last year. We have some personalities in some of our sporting disciplines in Antigua and Barbuda and it’s sad to say that too many personal hiccups are preventing us from moving forward. I know moving forward is not going to be the same; I will do my best to get somebody for Antigua because that’s where we need to go,” she said.

The former player’s decision to take up the head coach role for the regional tournament has come in for criticism from some quarters with pundits calling it a conflict of interest.

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