NETBALL is the biggest women's sport in the world.
It is the biggest women's sport in Fiji as well and predominantly played by i-Taukei girls and women. A lot of i-Taukei men are active in netball too.
It is estimated that Fijian women and girls of Indian descent make up an odd 35-45 per cent of our island nation's female population but they are hardly involved in the sport at club or district level.
During the recent 2015 Digicel/ Punjas National Netball Championship in Suva, there was no Fijian girl of Indian descent featuring in any of the district teams. In the 2015 Fiji Primary Schools Netball Championship, one Fijian girl of Indian descent was spotted playing for Navosa.
That was it. Some years back, in what was probably a first for netball in Fiji, a Fijian of Indian descent was elected as president of a district association. Businessman Judy Kumar is still the president of Navosa Netball Association.
Having Fijian girls and women of Indian descent playing competitive or organised netball is not a totally new concept.
New Zealand-based Jacinta Lal set the benchmark in 2011 when she was selected to play in the national netball team. Netball is a key sport in the annual TIV Sangam Convention.
The convention draws teams from overseas as well but eligibility is exclusive only for those from the South Indian denomination.
Of course it is a matter of choice for Fijian girls of Indian descent to play competitive or organised netball at club or district level and higher.
However, to be in the position of making a choice, it is important to know what options are available based on awareness, development and pathway.
Choice can not be a major issue though because back in their motherland, Indian girls and women are active in hockey which is a sport as physical as netball. They are also into sports such as netball, badminton, tennis, football, cricket and even boxing. There is an invisible barrier and a misconception in the local communities of Fijians of Indian decent that netball is a sport that is exclusive to i-taukei women and girls only.
That needs to change.
During the 2015 Punjas/ Digicel National Netball Championship, stakeholders were interviewed for opinions regarding local netball's great divide and what can be done to involve Fijian girls of Indian descent into netball.
Wainikiti Bogidrau
Netball Fiji president
In the past some of our affiliates (districts) have actually affiliated these girls, our Indo-Fijian sisters to be part of their associations and that has worked well in the past.
We want them. Netball is not exclusively for the i-Taukei. There is no barrier.
I think it's a cultural change that we need. It's a change of mindset.
Netball is a perfect sport that they can come and play as a team and learn valuable lessons that come with playing as a team. The values that you take away such as perseverance and the fact that when you train hard, when you work hard you get what you want. This is a good opportunity. Netball provides the platform for them to join a team and also play really well.
Our hope is that they come through the system. They play netball at primary, they come through secondary and they join clubs. I think Fiji Secondary Schools Netball Association sends out an invite to all schools to participate at the championships and unfortunately not all the schools volunteer or put teams in. In terms of primary schools we have seen some participation by Indo-Fijian girls for instance last year, I saw Yat Sen Primary School had fielded a few Indo-Fijian girls in their team and they were playing really well.
While we do officiate at tournaments such as TIV Sangam Convention, we invite them to field teams and some of them have fielded teams. It has to be a more concerted effort in this regard.
Gabrielle Qoro
Netball Fiji Umpiring Association president/ former national team coach
I believe it should be an agenda with Netball Fiji executive committee. They need to know for development purposes, this is an area which they need to tap on.
I believe it is a duty and task for Netball Fiji to go out there to the Indo-Fijian communities and promote the sport. Basically run tournaments for the Indo-Fijians within the community to be able to encourage these women to participate in the sport.
Only if it's run and organised with Netball Fiji then we will see that interest come in and it should go to all levels like secondary schools, even primary schools and clubs as well.
The secondary schools need to maximise the PE classes especially schools with Fijian girls of Indian decent. What schools can do is make it compulsory, they need to bring their change and learn netball. Basically involve them just to participate in the sport. That's the best way.
Mili Naituyaga
Nadroga Netball Association president
We need a ruling for the weekly club games. We need to create a new separate grade of competition which will involve clubs fielding a certain number of Fijian girls of Indian decent in their teams.
For a start to really bring out the Indo-Fijians girls, we should set a rule for how many girls of Indian Fijian decent to be part of the teams. Once there is a ruling, you can have two-three Indo-Fijian girls playing alongside four-five i-Taukei girls. That makes a team. You can't play in that grade without the right combination of players.
I was elected president of Nadroga netball this year. For next year, my plans for club games include every Saturday, we have primary school games in the morning. Next two hours, we have games in the special new competition where teams have a combination of Indo-Fijian and i-taukei players.We can have normal open grade matches after that say from 2pm - 5pm.
Of course for i-Taukei girls to win, they will train their Indo-Fijian players. They will train them because they want them to be good players so they can win the competition.
Multiply the number of players per team by 10 teams and we have 30 Indo-Fijian players playing every Saturday.
That cultural barrier is there because we haven't touched that area. We haven't gone far enough to invite them to play.
To bring them to competitions like this (Punjas/ Digicel National Netball Championship), they will have to play and they'll be good players because the other members will teach them so that they have a good team.
Nadroga netball has been working with the Nadroga sangam team. Once the team is picked the local community asks our players to teach and coach them. They would come to the courts every afternoon and we teach them the basics. I tell you they have potential.
Ruci Camaitoga
Suva Netball Association president
I think the awareness is not there at the moment.
A tournament can be organised where the clubs of different associations can maybe invite the Indo-Fijian girls to play.
Maybe different districts can come up with a tournament to encourage the Indo-Fijians to take part in netball.
In Suva, I think last year or two years ago, we had an Indo-Fijian team made up of mainly Indian girls.
I guess it should start from primary school level for them to encourage the Indo-Fijian girls to play. Schools should include the Indo-Fijian girls in the teams.
It should start from primary and secondary level. From there, the interest will come up to higher associations like Suva and all the different associations.
Netball Fiji, being the parent body of netball should also look into coaching clinics and maybe include Indo-Fijians in tournaments like the national championships.
Sala Drasuna
Lautoka Netball Association president
For Lautoka, we've had Indo-Fijian teams in the past.
In the 70s, there was an Indo-Fijian club from Rifle Range and they used to play in the Lautoka weekly club competition.
We need to go out and bring them into the fold.
Now, they've got tournaments like TIV Sangam and Muslim Zanana which they play in.
That is what they do in terms of netball.
The TIV Sangam tournament has grown from strength to strength.
With Lautoka last year, the secondary schools had a separate division altogether for Fijian girls of Indian decent compete.
But none of the girls came forward to join a club after that.
I think if we start from there we could carry on to the senior levels. I think it' also the culture.
They tend to sit back.
I think it (culture) plays an important role.
But it's achievable.
I believe it's achievable.
If you know the culture and speak in their lingo, you can entice them to come in.
Judy Kumar
Navosa Netball Association president
They need to join clubs and do their best. They need to be committed and attend daily training. Keep fit so that they can be selected to play in the nationals.
