2015 Netball WC: One year to plan, but shall we?

She Cranes players celebrate during a dinner organised in their honour in Kampala. The team will take part in the 2015 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

Comment. Before winning the Six Nations Cup in Singapore last year, the She Cranes had only secured government funding at the last minute after making a plea for public help in local media. Government should not wait for the last minute to help the She Cranes as they try to win the Net Ball World Cup.

“For them to get any help from government, they’ll have to win the World Cup first.” This comment by one of our online readers on the She Cranes story had me chuckle and at the same time mumble in bemusement.

That comment carries with it a loaded message. It is a classic piece of sarcasm yet the frustration in it is inescapable. The national netball side, the She Cranes, would connect with it.
They have been through a lot not to. They are at that point when they can recite it as an inspiration if it is what it will take for them to be taken more seriously – not by just the government, but by the private sector as well.

It is that ghetto life that has always given them extra-human will, that sheer determination – even if it meant to travel by to Blantyre, Malawi for the African Netball Championship last year, or to Botswana for the World Cup qualifiers with just Shs600,000 as upkeep, to dismiss odds.
It is not the first time they are scaling the heights amidst shambolic preparations and financial disability.

Past experience
In 1988, as my senior in the business Hassan Badru Zziwa recollects; as the She Cranes prepared for the Cecafa Senior Netball Championship in Zimbabwe, team officials went into a begging spree.

Officials and players moved door to door to secure air tickets and players’ allowance, with some institutions like Coffee Marketing Board, Uganda Commercial Bank, KCC and Uganda Railways offering to pay air tickets for their respective players selected for national duty.

The team, however, got stranded in Malawi for three days after failing to get connections to Zimbabwe and arrived in Harare when the tournament had already started. The She Cranes went on to dethrone Kenya and win the title but again, they failed to get a flight back to Kampala; spending a week in Harare before finally returning home.

On their way to winning the Six Nations Cup in Singapore last year, the She Cranes had only secured government funding at the last minute after making a plea for public help in local media.
The last minute rush still had Uganda miss their flights, thus forfeiting the opening match after arriving on day two of the competition.
Fast forward to the latest excursion in Botswana, where the She Cranes qualified for August 7-16, 2015 World Cup unbeaten, they had to leave for Gaborone with just Shs600,000 for upkeep.
Although the Sports Ministry finally sent the team Shs50m as the tournament progressed, their allowances are said to have been stone in the sea.

According to team captain Peace Proscovia, it was “so little it’s better left unrevealed.”
That the Shs50m, which was mainly used for clearing hotel fees and meals, reached the team midway the tournament is a classic example of how trivial government has taken these girls over the years.

Just like the just ended World Cup qualifiers, the previous tournaments were well scheduled and did not take the Netball Federation, National Council of Sports (NCS) and government by surprise.
We have already heard of cash pledges towards the girls’ preparations ahead of the Sydney, Australia World Cup next August, but what they will need is government’s carefully structured strategy on where the team will get money for preparations, how they will get it, and when.

We need a new song ahead of another major tournament, not one of begging, lack of tickets, and stanzas of uncertainty.
We have one year to the World Cup, just enough time for the Netball Federation to use their new-found success to attract sponsorship, and for government to surprise us. Will they?

MUSANA’S SITUATION REIGNITES PLAYER SAFETY CONCERNS

Post mortem results show that the fallen Simba player, Fahad Musana, died of bronchopneumonia.

Bronchopneumonia is the acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles (passageways by which air passes through the nose or mouth to the air sacs of the lungs).
While the post mortem shows no connection to the head knock he picked in Simba’s match against Entebbe last Saturday, Musana’s case reignites safety concerns of sportsmen and women in Uganda.

Fifa rules state that anyone with a head injury should leave the field immediately and be assessed urgently by a medic before they can proceed.
The said precaution was taken by Simba medics at Nakivubo after Musana, who died a day later while watching an English Premier League match in Bombo, collided with a colleague.
There have, however, been different sources within the army side ranks that claim the club medics advised that the player be taken for a scan after the Saturday game only for Musana to train with the team the next day. We could not independently verify these claims by press time yesterday.

This further raises concerns; how serious do our clubs take the health of their players? How many clubs, for example, have qualified medics? I bet not many.
Do the players undergo mandatory tests before games? Only SCVU are known to have conducted medical tests before signing some of their players.

Also, during the 2011/12 league season when SuperSport televised games, there was at least an ambulance at most venues but on the opening day of the Uganda Premier League (UPL) last Friday, the only game in Kampala between Express and Kira at Wankulukuku had no standby ambulance.
It was refreshing to see one at KCC vs Police on Tuesday but with SuperSport coming back into business, money should be stacked aside to ensure every venue has a standby ambulance, and clubs should know that without the health of their players they are out of business.

Dick finally smiling away in Italy…
While we are at it, national team boxing coach Dick Katende finally smiled and should complete his one week coaching coarse in Siracusa, Italy tomorrow. The National Council of Sports (NCS) finally footed his study fees, accommodation and feeding, with Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) providing the ticket.

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