Laventille Netball League offers hope for future; as Unity and Transcend girls show promise

On a cool Thursday afternoon, Unity Sports Club, in their pink and black uniforms, and the Police Netball Youth Club (PNYC), in their purple kit, played the first of four matches of the Republic Bank Laventille Netball League matches at the Nelson Mandela Park Public Courts.

A few hours earlier, heavy rain made the idea of netball at the outdoor court seem unlikely—but a combination of forgiving weather and determined league officials mopping up operations saw the matches start only about ten minutes late.

The two teams, probably trying to shake off some rainy-day lethargy, were noticeably low energy during the warm-ups.

The PNYC coaching staff, in particular, were heard encouraging their athletes to up their intensity on a couple of occasions. The encouragement was largely ignored, in typical teenager fashion, and the teams, unsurprisingly, started their B Division clash short of rhythm and precision.

As the girls picked up the pace, falls on the still slick court started to creep into the game.

The Unity Wing Defence Jasile Marshall catches a ball and stops on her pivot foot, which continues forward in a slide that leaves her on her behind. Another player falls into a dangerous looking split.

Each fall elicits an alarmed gasp from the spectators. Each time the girls pass the ball from their fallen position and get up—unharmed.

“We were lucky no one was seriously injured,” said PNYC coach Anika LaRoche, on the court’s surface. “[…] Netball needs a better venue. Every time it rains, the games are affected.”

Lily Stapleton, one of the league’s organisers, noted that despite the administrators’ best efforts to dry the court, the venue is at the mercy of the elements.

“We were told that because of how the court is painted, even after you use the roller and the mop to remove the water, it really needs the hot sun to dry it properly,” said Stapleton. “[…] Also, sometimes the girls’ footwear isn’t good either, so it doesn’t take much for them to fall.”

Despite the challenges, Stapleton expressed happiness with the continuous growth of the Republic Bank-sponsored league. Each year, the number of teams participating has increased and this year’s edition is no different.

The Kiwi division, she explained, is an example of the league’s ongoing efforts at inclusivity, allowing primary school aged girls to participate.

Kiwi athletes from Jabloteh and Buss It Ballerz were already visible at the Mandela Park Public Courts area, throwing around the ball and watching the older athletes play—despite the fact that their match was the day’s curtain closer.

On the court nothing seemed to separate Unity and PNYC as they launched attack after attack. The intensity picked up and, in between scores, a number of promising moves end with a combination of more falls and bad catching.

The Unity team, out of St Barb’s, were a bit sharper in moments and more rehearsed. But the PNYC team had an answer for them each time and might have even led if their shooting was better.

“We never stop preparing, we are always training,” said coach LaRoche, about her team. “This league is good for the girls. They get that critical match experience.”

Stapleton is pleased with the nature of the competition this year.

“One of the good things about the league is how competitive the matches are, you hardly see one team completely dominating,” said Stapleton. “And we have teams from all Talparo and Toco.”

Both Unity and PNYC train in the Port of Spain area—the latter at the YMCA on Wrightson Road. PNYC continued to push their opponents all the way to the end. But as fatigue stepped in, it was the team from St Barb’s that prevailed.

At the final whistle the girls come together mid court to congratulate each other, a sporting conclusion to an end-to-end encounter.

Coach LaRoche congratulated her team’s effort. She was firm and calm in her team talk, and acknowledged both the things done well and the things to improve on.

They pushed their opponents all the way through. But as the legs went near the end, so did the concentration. She asked for them to remember to keep trying in those moments, to maintain their discipline.

The team ended the talk upbeat, despite the result. It was a masterclass in how to provide a positive and supportive environment.

Near the canteen, a toddler rolled around a netball under the watchful eye of his mother. She took the ball from him to give to the team to warm-up and he cried with disappointment.

One of the young players from another club, unwilling to see him cry, rolled her ball for him to use instead. He giggled in delight, while his mother smiled in appreciation at the youngster.

The netball was competitive, but the sense of community was never in doubt.

The second match on the day was a Beginners Division contest between Transcend, based out of Woodbrook Government Secondary, and Wharf Trace from Maracas, St Joseph.

The group is younger than the B Division girls from the first game, but older than their Kiwi counterparts. Some have been playing the game for as little as a year, none more than two.

The difference in the skill level from the previous game was obvious, but there was no let up in determination and effort. A mother from Transcend stood right up against the fence, cheering every attacking move.

She turned to make sure that her husband was paying attention: “You see your child score again?”

Another group of parents enjoyed the various offerings in a cooler out of the back of a pickup. Despite the weather, netball has its faithful following and, as in any Caribbean event, the social aspect is prominent.

Like the opening game, there wasn’t a lot between the two teams. Transcend were slightly better technically, but Wharf Trace was able to stay close.

The court had dried up a bit more and there are fewer falls. The crowd still gasped when the odd fall did occur. Significantly, the girls kept getting back up.

What the girls may have lacked in technical skill, they certainly made up for in effort and intensity. Things got so heated at one point that the Wharf Trace Wing Defence, Shania Ramsumair, and opposing Transcend Wing Attack, Gernice Sutton, both received a warning.

There were no lingering issues from the incident and at the final whistle both teams came together in a friendly reminder of: what happens on court is left on the court.

Transcend coach Roma Noreiga shared her satisfaction after the match with her team’s showing and praised the league for giving her girls valuable match exposure.

“I am happy with how my team performed,” said Noreiga. “The girls haven’t been playing for that long, so the game experience has been invaluable.”

During the game, the improvement in confidence from both teams was evident. Transcend edged ahead by halftime and they maintained that lead for the second half, in which neither team managed to separate themselves.

Noreiga noted that preparation had been made more difficult by inconsistent training attendance—a common hurdle in the early stages of player development. There are also challenges in involving her entire roster on match day.

“The game time is too short,” she said. “When I have a full squad, it is difficult to give everyone meaningful game time.”

The third game was another B Division fixture between Cardinals and Jabloteh. By then, the small crowd dominated the parking lot out onto Elizabeth and Hayes Streets—demonstrating another limitation of the Mandela Park venue.

“We had to use the indoor facility in Tacarigua for the opening ceremony,” said Stapleton. “You’d be surprised how quickly the stands were filled. We had to refund people their money because there was no room for them anywhere inside.

“The Jean Pierre Complex could easily accommodate a larger crowd.”

With the Caribbean Under-16 Championship expected to be hosted here next year, the hope is that the much-needed restoration of the Jean Pierre Complex will be expedited, so netball can return to a purpose-built location.

That is out of the hands of the netball fraternity. However, Stapleton did have a suggestion that netball did have control over.

“The netball community needs to do more to develop the players in the league,” she said. “We need to move them forward so they are ready to compete [in] international competitions.”

She remains convinced that enough athletes are coming to the sport to return us as a force in the international game.

Thursday’s matches captured the enduring spirit of the Republic Bank Laventille Netball League: competitive, with a clear emphasis on growth and inclusivity.

We have fallen from the pinnacle of the international scene, but like the girls on that “rain-polished” surface, there is enough to suggest that we can get back up to where we once were.

With participation continuously on the rise, the dedicated coaches, and steadfast support from sponsors and fans, the league aims to continue driving the game forward.

The hope is that sharper skills, stronger competition, and a new generation of netball talent is already taking shape.