NAM to train umpires, teams on Fast5 rules
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) will conduct clinics to train umpires, players and officials on Fast5 netball rules that will be used this year’s GOtv Netball Championships.
NAM president Rosy Chinunda said this after umpires and teams complained that it will be difficult for them to take part in the competition because they are in the dark about the improvised rules that are applied during the Fast5 World Netball Series Championships.
“We are aware that many people are not knowledgeable of these spontaneous netball rules and regulations and we are taking steps to put them in line. Before this year’s GOtv netball throws off, we will conduct clinics countrywide to educate umpires, players and officials about these rules,” Chinunda said.
She added that they deliberately asked the GOtv netball sponsors Multichoice Malawi to apply Fast5 rules in this year’s contest so that all local netballers and umpires should adapt to the off the cuff rules that were introduced to enhance the entertaining nature of the sport.
According to the NAM boss, they have excused the Malawi Queens from the Africa edition of the Fast5 Games in Botswana so that both current and prospective national team players should be knowledgeable of the fast-improving netball rules.
“The games in Botswana will be used as qualifiers for the forthcoming Fast5 World Series but since we already qualified after being seeded alongside South Africa and Botswana, we thought it wise to forgo the event and concentrate on developing the game on the domestic arena,” she said.
Malawi Queens struggle to cope with the advanced rules at the Fast5 World Series where, for instance, fail to shoot from outside the goal circle. Chinunda said this will soon be history once the Fast5 rules are applied in domestic netball.
In spite of that, national netball umpires chairperson Whyte Mulilima has made the most of the local netball fraternity’s ignorance to organise a daylong course for interested umpires and netball officials on the Fast5 rules at the Blantyre Youth Centre this Saturday. Fee is K1000 per participant.
