Netball back on hold

Netball back on hold

Linda Andrews and the rest of the netball committee made the decision last week to put their friendly winter league and training on hold due to the sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Island.

The decision was made prior to the government announcement which has forced all indoor sporting activity to cease until at least the start of 2021.

Andrews said a lot of players had been isolating as a result of direct contact with a positive Covid case, which was making it difficult to run their friendly league.

‘The virus has been spreading throughout the Island rapidly at a rate which is far greater than the first lockdown and I think it has really hit home,’ she said.

‘With players isolating we were going to have to stretch the league throughout the week in order to play the games and the demand on our umpires and volunteers was too great at a time when safety must be a priority.’

Andrews has ruled out the possibility of outdoor training even though current government guidance does not place any further restrictions on outdoor sports.

‘We have not even mentioned outdoor training this time, we as a community wanted to play our part in making sure people are as safe as possible.’

Netball had resumed at its new home at Les Ormes earlier this year and Andrews said it has been a joy to watch players enjoying the sport.

She added: ‘It was a tough decision to make, we had been doing so well and have been really proactive in minimising the risks associated with the virus.’

As part of the new government restrictions, physical distancing has been increased to two metres – something Andrews said makes playing netball impossible.

‘We have already been operating in an adapted format which has worked well but a further distancing increase and it won’t feel like you are even playing netball anymore.’

The JNA will look to resume netball activity in January if restrictions are loosened.

Andrews said that they are hoping to roll out their full community programme at the start of 2021 following the successful return of their winter league system.

‘We have been reintroducing elements of our community programme at a staggered rate so we could assess if the Covid measures we put in place worked and they have been a great success.’

‘Restarting will be easy as we have a proven system in place and all the fixtures for our winter league have already been drawn up.’

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