By Neto Baptiste
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Netball Association (ABNA), Karen Joseph said she is pushing to have the 2024 domestic league completed by the end of this year.
The programme was halted in September to facilitate the preparations of the senior national women’s team for the ECCB sponsored International Netball Series in St. Lucia and the men’s national team for the Americas Federation of Netball Associations men’s tournament in St. Kitts.
Joseph said the league was halted with just two mixed games and one half of a women’s encounter left to be completed.
“When we came back from St. Lucia I wanted that to be finished but most of the games were male games or mixed teams and because there was basketball that was taking place, we had an issue to finalize the last three games and that’s a sore topic for me but I still want it to end. Even if it means we have to end [this league] and then have the opening [for 2025], that’s something that needs to be done,” she said.
Joseph, re-elected for a fourth two-year term as head of the association earlier this week, explained the need to complete the matches while reassuring that teams and players will be rewarded for their efforts.
“The female was the finish up a game that was washed out but everything else is in place. When I speak to the players that play basketball in the business league and the time schedule so I will know how to fit in the two [men’s] games and the half game [women], I want that to be done before the end of the year. There will be a prizegiving ceremony because we always have things in place for that so we have medals and trophies already in place for that,” the netball boss said.
Dates for the hosting of the matches have not yet been finalized but Joseph has indicated that the newly elected executive of the associations is set to have it’s first meeting next week.
