Never say Nevers - Smash netball's sexist glass ceiling

The post-mortem of Jamaica's disastrous showing at the IFNA World Championships will do no good if we don't face the hard issues which must be addressed.

This was arguably the most prepared netball team to have left our shores. Whatever else might be said about the affable JNA president, Marva Bernard, she has worked wonders to keep the Sunshine Girls at the forefront of our collective consciousness.

The programme intensified when we went for the highly acclaimed Australian, Jill McIntosh, earlier this year. She was made the technical director and the fortunes of preparing our squad were placed in her hands. Any objective analysis of the 2011 netball campaign must question the 'rightness' of such a move.

From the outset, I struggled to understand the wisdom of the appointment. I couldn't come to grips with having a technical director whose job ended weeks before the World Championships.

Half of a coach's job is to prepare a team beforehand. The other half is to be there for the team in the heat of battle.

The JNA knew about the limitations when it went for Jill. It knew that, based on her work with IFNA, the team would be handicapped by not having her at the big dance.

It is clear that the powers that be felt that the coaches at their disposal, especially Connie Francis, lacked 'something' and they, therefore, went for outside help. Nothing's wrong with that. But what is not so normal is for any national association to so ignore the obvious claims of one of their own.

Exemplary record

Winston Nevers' record, as a netball coach, is unsurpassed, except, maybe, for Patrick Brissett of Waulgrovians (most of Brissett's success was before Nevers got involved). He has certainly won more netball titles than any other coach in the modern era, including taking Jamalco to 14 straight national finals, winning eight!

He's also brought several players to the national squad. Claims that he wins with Jamalco only because he inherits national players are far from the truth. The players Nevers has brought to the national level make a very long list: Winsome Grant, Georgina Hibbert, Elaine Davis, Tiffany Wolfe, Nisha Wolfe, Paula Thompson, Francine and Frances Powell, Samantha Robinson, Elfreda Reid, Georgina Gordon, Samantha Mundle, Tasha Morgan, Tracy Robinson, Anna-Kay Griffiths, Romelda Aiken, among others. None of the players mentioned were in any national programme before Nevers worked with them at Jamalco and Windalco.

On that evidence alone, this man should have that 'something' that the JNA went for when they went a-calling for Jill McIntosh. However, he continues to be sidelined.

The JNA and Nevers have had differing views as to why this is so. We have heard that he is unwilling, some even say unable, to sit the requisite coaching exams. Nevers himself believes that he was never given a fair chance.

The deck is seemingly stacked against Nevers. One, he is male. The JNA boss committed a faux pas a few years ago when she stated on a programme on KLAS that no male will ever coach the national netball team. As she said then, that wouldn't happen until a woman was placed in charge of the national football or cricket teams! It was an unfortunate statement.

Male-coached teams

The top four netball teams in Jamaica are Jamalco, Tivoli, Windalco and Waulgrovians. At the time of the statement, they were all coached by men. The JNA boss did try damage control, retracting the statement, and not long after C. Lloyd Allen was placed in charge of the Under-21 team as a token gesture.

The JNA is now at a crossroads. Changes need to be made not only to personnel but to policy. There are some critics who are already calling for her head. I don't necessarily agree. She is a good administrator and has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the sport.

To save herself, and netball, she needs to do one thing: find a way to get Nevers in the programme. His less-than-modulated tones, his perceived inability to speak the Queen's English, his regular criticism of the programme in the media, may all be working against him.

Bernard may feel that including him now would look like weakness or desperation on her part. But she needs to look past that. Even if administrators don't think he fits the role of head coach, the assistant job must surely be up his street.

The JNA will not be as credible an organisation as it can be unless it rids itself of what appears to be a clear case of gender bias.

Orville Higgins is a sportscaster. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.