Netball has brought honour to the country - Tamara Dharmakeerthi Herath

by Ranjan Anandappa

NETBALL: The power of Dialog and the strategy of the Netball Federation will play a pivotal role while developing netball in the country as Dialog for the first time has come forward to help to uplift the standard of the game.

Tamara Dharmakeethi Herath a former national player and the President of the Asian Netball Association speaking on the occasion of launching of the sponsorship at the Colombo Hilton Ballroom emphasised the importance of netball to the country.

"Not everyone really has understood, how much netball has brought honour to the country. The girls are from remote districts, having no funds for themselves, but they have done their part. Dialog is synonymous with hand phones, and we hope in years to come that Dialog Telekom will be able to help netball too." She said.

She stressed on the importance of the sponsorship and thanked Dialog for coming forward in sponsoring the most crucial element required in the progress of the sport which is the development of the district schools, which would have Sri Lankan players developing and emerging in the long term. It will be a feeder to the national and junior pools.

Without the development pool, there's no way that we can sustain our performance in the long term. That is exactly what has happened to us, We could not form the development pool and our position has dropped from number one to number three.

We thank Dialog for coming forward and really helping us to sponsor this crucial element of developing the districts. The Asian Championship is going to be held in July next year in Hong Kong, and in 2009 the Asian Championship is going to be held in Malaysia.

If we do not be the winner or runner up we will not be entitled to play in the Commonwealth Games. We did not qualify last time. So next year is vital for both our senior and junior teams, and Dialog coming to our assistance is a timely one," She said.

Nushad Perera, General Manager Sales and Marketing of Dialog Telekom said that they have been actively involved in sports for many years, starting with football seven years ago. When they signed up with the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, we said that we are going to watch their progress during the first year of sponsorship, and the same policy will be adopted towards netball.

"This is only a token contribution of the sponsorship, and the activities of the Netball Federation will be watched very closely and monitored. It is not only spending of the funds but the enthusiasm and how the sponsorship will work out for both parties" said Nushad Perera.

"We believe there is tremendous potential in netball, may be in 2008, it is good if we could meet Asain standards. But at least by 2012 if Sri Lanka can reach International standards we can promise that we will be behind the sport," Perera added.

The minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge, while thanking Dialog for coming forward to lend a helping hand for netball, said that the game is extremely popular in Sri Lanka schools. Almost 90 percent of the girls schools play netball.

The schools always maintained a high standard. He commended the efforts taken by the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka with the aid of Dialog in trying to restore the image of netball which the country enjoyed some years ago.