The Sri Lanka Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) has been compelled to suspend the development program for coaches due to the coronavirus, its president Lakshmi Victoria said.
The coaching development program commenced recently in the Kegalle and Kandy districts with the participation of coaches from the schools in particular.
The second program was conducted in the Kalutara district and the NFSL had planned to conduct the Level One courses in the other districts as well according to Victoria.
Male coaches were also invited and the NFSL planned to extend the project to Badulla, Moneragala, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts as well.
Netball consultant coach Hayasinth Wijesinghe had initiated the program along with national coach Somitha de Alwis and assistant coach PD Prasadi joining in. Meanwhile pool practices which resumed after the six month lockdown and are now suspended may commence in keeping with health guidelines.
“We hope to begin training with the focus on physical fitness first with the instructions from the Sports Ministry and doctors from the Sports Medical Unit. They have advised us not to practice with the ball yet as this is a contact sport,” said Victoria.
Most of the national poolists are doing their own physical fitness training at home and in addition the NFSL is planning to begin forming a second string team under coaches Deepthi Alwis and Vajira Pushpakumari.
They will commence searching for talented players in the outstations to form the pool which will be maintained as a feeder to the senior team in the future.
The Sri Lanka under-16 team emerged champions in the South Asian Netball Championships last year.
Victoria said that they had planned to conduct the domestic tournaments including the national championship before December which has now being put on hold.