After years of stagnation, netball in Saint Lucia is showing clear signs of a comeback, driven by a resurgence of interest from lapsed senior athletes and a flood of new young talent eager to take up the sport. That is the optimistic assessment from Safiya Paul, Vice President of Netball Saint Lucia, shared shortly after the conclusion of the latest edition of the Coast 2 Coast Netball Tournament, held Saturday at the Vigie Multipurpose Sports Complex.
When the current executive committee took charge of the national governing body, organized local netball competition had ground to a halt. Reviving regional, district-level play through the Coast 2 Coast initiative became a top priority for the leadership, Paul explained. The program is designed to reach communities across every corner of the island, re-engage young people who drifted away from the sport, and inject new energy into netball at the grassroots level.
“Admittedly, netball was effectively dormant for a period here,” Paul said. “But now we’re back, putting in the work to strengthen the sport across every district and every region. Our core goal is to rebuild the tight-knit netball community that once existed on the island.”
The tournament’s only senior matchup of the day saw 2 Da Max Netball Academy go head-to-head against the Windward Islands School Games representative team. Though both squads were forced to adjust their lineups due to several key player absences, 2 Da Max leaned on their veteran experience and a relentless defensive strategy to secure a comfortable 45-30 victory. In another senior division result, LFX Ballers earned an automatic win and three extra points after the Shamrock team was forced to forfeit their scheduled fixture.
In the junior division, two squads continued their dominant runs through the tournament: Ruby Red Darlings and Little Sisters turned in standout performances once again. Little Sisters delivered a decisive 47-11 blowout against Shamrock Juniors, while Desruisseaux’s Darlings held off a late push from White Blazers to claim a narrow 17-13 win.
As the tournament uncovers promising new young talent across the island, the national netball federation is already preparing to roll out a formal grassroots development program in the near future. Paul noted that the greatest enthusiasm for netball right now is concentrated among young people, while many older, experienced players have stepped away from the sport in recent years. That is why the federation is centering its long-term strategy on youth development, to build a sustainable pipeline of talent that will carry Saint Lucia netball into the next generation.
“We’re starting from the ground up with young athletes,” Paul said. “This investment will ensure we have a steady stream of skilled netballers ready to compete at the highest level for years to come.”