The Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports (HPERS) of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), in collaboration with the Netball Federation of Ghana (NFG), has organised a netball workshop for students of the department.
Designed to expose Level 300 HPERS students to technical knowledge in umpiring and coaching, the event was part of a broader strategy to develop students’ interest in the game and prepare them to serve as teachers.
The students underwent netball demonstrations and drills on the court at the University’s north campus as part of the workshop.
The President of the Netball Federation of Ghana (NFG), Rev. Emmanuel D. Nikoi, in a brief after the closing ceremony, explained that the workshop had been very inspiring and the students demonstrated potential in the game.
He said: “We are hoping that they will take the lessons and knowledge acquired to the schools and other places in the bid to grow and develop the game of netball in the country.”
Rev. Nikoi also appealed to corporate bodies and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation to support the federation with sponsorship packages to embark on several activities that would help develop the game.
“This year, we are hoping that with the reset agenda, netball will get some resources from the national coffers for our activities,” he mentioned.
Dr Richmond Stephen Sorkpor, a lecturer at HPERS-UEW and a coordinator for the programme, explained that sports development was the centre nerve of institutions of training, including UEW, saying:
“We are not looking at the equipment or materials we have. We are looking at how we can develop skills in these young ones; and we can develop the skills if we have the personnel. The personnel are the students, and we empower our students with the know-how, techniques, and strategies, so that they will be able to develop the interest of students at the basic level.”
He said the workshop was part of a strategy to empower the students for the development of netball in the country, adding: “We need to revamp netball to our finish.”
Dr Sorkpor stressed the need to improve sporting activities, including netball, from the basic level, noting that games were normally concentrated at the tertiary level, which affects the development of talents at the grassroots.
The Chairperson for the workshop committee, Miss Deborah Cobbinah, explained that as students, they were interested in the practical aspect of their coursework as upcoming Physical Education (PE) teachers. She commended the Netball Federation of Ghana for exposing students to the practical aspect of the game.
The Vice President of the Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports Students Association, Cynthia Doe Amego, appealed to the young ones to participate in netball because it was a good and organised game.
BY DAVID O. YARBOI TETTEH, WINNEBA
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