Mikia Kalati
THE LESOTHO Netball Association (LNA) will hold a weekend two day workshop for its coaches and umpires in preparation for the new netball league that gets underway on April 22.
The workshop follows last week’s Alliance Insurance sponsored Interclub Netball Tournament that was staged by the Lesotho Correctional Service Netball club.
LNA public relations officer, Matšepo Mohau said the two events had lifted the spirits among the netball fraternity as they gear up for the new season.
She said the workshop was aimed at equipping their umpires and coaches with the necessary skills ahead of the new season.
“We want to ensure that our coaches and umpires are equipped with skills before the new season starts,” Mohau said, adding, “It is important to be on the same wavelength as far as information and knowledge about the sport is concerned”.
She said Lephole Chakatsa and Ramafahla Thamae would be among the instructors.
Chakatsa holds Africa A award certificates which allow him to coach from basic to level three umpires and Thamae is an Africa B coach who is credited to train from basic to level two coaches.
Chakatsa is also the LNA director of Development while Thamae was the coach of the team that represented the country at the Zone 5 games in Angola in 2016.
Mohau praised LCS Netball team for hosting a world class and successful international tournament that featured teams from Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa.
Umhlathuze and Black Eagles from South Africa won the male and female categories of the tournament respectively.
“It’s not a secret that South African teams are ahead of us but it’s a challenge to us to improve so that we do better next time,” Mohau said.
“Despite all that, the competitiveness was very good for our teams especially when the new season starts next month.
“I think we all realised that there is a gap that we need to close between them and us. We can only work together to improve,” she said.
