Bulawayo netball targets coaching revolution

ZIMBABWE Netball Association (ZINA) Bulawayo Province has embarked on a drive to improve the standard of coaching in the city after conducting its first five-day Level One coaching course at Coghlan Primary School.

A total of 26 aspiring coaches, 24 women and two men, took part in the programme, which covered several fundamentals of coaching as the province seeks to strengthen its technical structures.

The course looked at areas including coaching philosophy, team selection and statistics, with officials emphasising the importance of coaches being equipped with skills that go beyond simply directing players during matches.

ZINA technical director for Bulawayo Province Themba Siziba said the initiative was prompted partly by the province’s struggles in inter-provincial competitions.
“We were looking at coaching philosophy, team selection and also the fact that these people are supposed to be statisticians also,” said Siziba.

“We also realised that many a times our teams are not doing well in inter-provincial competitions and this is the first group we have trained in Bulawayo.”
Siziba said the province wanted participants to put their new knowledge into practice rather than simply acquiring certificates.

“We would like to have licences after this. We don’t want these people to just get certificates and not use them. We want them to go and implement this knowledge instead of just keeping a certificate,” he said.

Siziba said the training will have a positive impact on the province’s performances.

“It was a good experience after all. After this I think Bulawayo will improve,” he said.

The course also attracted participants looking to improve their ability to develop young players, particularly within schools.
Participant Anesu Rimakamwe said the programme had given her a better understanding of the foundations of the game and the importance of player development.

“My drive to come here was to understand the basics of netball and during the course I learnt a lot.

One of the key things I learnt is that if you want your team to perform better, you need to understand the development of a player and how to develop them,” she said.

For teacher and fellow participant Naomi Ncube, the course provided valuable lessons that she can take back to school.

“I joined this course so that I can be able to coach my learners at school. From this course I learnt different coaching ethics, philosophy, ball-specific rules and player safety,” said Ncube.

“I also learnt the importance of me as a teacher communicating with the parents, who should know every step we take with their kids when coaching.”

The province hopes the programme will become the beginning of a sustained coaching development pathway, with participants expected to take the lessons learnt into schools, clubs and community teams.

The initiative could provide a significant boost to Bulawayo’s netball development as the province seeks to improve its competitiveness at inter-provincial level while creating a stronger foundation for player development.