It is only a few days to go to the National Showdown where national divides are going to be crossed as all roads lead to The City of Kings – Bulawayo – for this Year’s Edition of the Health and Safety Sports Gala to be held from the 22nd of August to the 24th of August. The stage has been set as on Friday the 08th of August all the Station National Representatives met at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex to deliberate on the fixtures and programme of the event in a setup that left the gathering with folded hands as all was now left for the ball to trundle, whistle to be blown and guns to be blazed come next week. In case it may not have hit your head, the Health and Safety Gala is right here in Bulawayo and the gusto is building up in one of the following disciplines and events:
Soccer, Netball, Volleyball, Chess, Choir, Pool, Athletics, Darts, Tug of War, Walking Race
NETBALL
Today we focus on the game of Netball
The history of netball goes back to 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts when a 30-year-old Canadian immigrant to the USA, James Naismith, was ordered to invent an indoor game for high-spirited young men at the School for Christian Workers (later the YMCA). Moving from its early roots as basketball, the first game of netball played at Madame Ostenburg’s College, England in 1895, through to inclusion in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the instigation of Fast Net in 2008 and Fast5 in 2013. So it has been quite a journey. If you assumed this sport was fledgling, press the mind refresh button as netball has surely come out of age.
Netball Basics and Facts
It is of paramount importance to understand the rules of this sport as the teams head for a fierce showdown. In most cases complaints which arise are mainly because of lack of knowledge on the sport and how it is played. As easy as it looks, Netball has got rules in which it derives its coordination and play. This is why it has a decent following in the circles and periphery. Alas this sport is also a spectacle at the upcoming Sports Gala.
In netball not everyone is allowed to shoot for goals lest you did not know and this responsibility lies with the Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attacker (GA). Well what an anomaly. Come to soccer and you see even the Goalkeeper or defender taking a crack at goal with no castigation.
There are seven players that are supposed to be on the court of play for each team namely the Goal Shooter, the Goal Attack, the Centre, the Wing Defence, the Goal Defence and Goal Keeper. This makes Netball a game of small numbers as it falls four players shy of soccer and this may be the reason why Netball was never an Olympic Sport even at Sydney 2000, despite frequent lobbying to have it become an Olympic game.
Substitutions can only be made at quarter half or when a player is injured. Previously there were no limits to the number of substitutions that a team could make. With the development of the game came the standard maximum of 10 players per team limiting the substitutions to 3 per game. If you start a match with 5 or 6 players but more members of your team arrive after the game has started, they must wait until the next centre pass before being allowed to join the team. No limit to the number of substitutions? Well, this sounds very interesting and better than soccer but get it right here! Substitutions are only done at quarter half time. So stop smiling and thinking ahead – there is a limit anyway.
The footwork rule still applies in the centre circle. As soon as the Centre steps into the circle, their leading leg becomes their landing foot and the footwork rule then applies. That is, if they lift or move their landing foot and place it back down again, a free pass will be awarded to the opposing team due to footwork.
Players must remove all jewellery before the start of a match to avoid injury to you as a player and your opposition. This rule includes all ear piercings, plus piercings high on the ear lobe. Covering piercings up with a plaster is not adequate! The only exception is a wedding band or a medical alert bracelet which can be worn but must be taped up. Failure to remove jewellery will result in a player not being allowed on court. Ever wondered why most sophisticated ladies find it difficult to participate in this game? Their piercings and jewellery will be too tattooed around them that removing them will appear as a complete dress down and, well, with dignity at stake they back off!
So come next week, hands will clash as Eight of the Nine participating teams have vowed to give a challenge to the reigning Netball Queens of Bulawayo who have over the years proved to be a thorn in the flesh to the other competitors. It remains a jungle contest as the teams have changed players in recent times.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tug-of-War
Tug-of-War featured as an Olympic sport between 1900 and 1920 and resulted in one of the most notable disputes of the 1908 Games in London.
According to International rules, the rope in a tug of war contest must be between 100mm and 125 mm in circumference.
Bulawayo Chapter Sports Desk.