Former netball captains apply for coaching job

By Susil Premalal

Somitha de Alwis	PD Prasadi

Two experienced netball coaches, Somitha de Alwis and PD Prasadi, have submitted applications for the position of head coach of the Sri Lanka team for the upcoming 14th Asian Senior Netball Championship 2026.

The Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) has arranged interviews for the post today at 10.00 am at the Natural Selection Committee Office in Torrington, Colombo.

Both De Alwis and Prasadi are former Sri Lanka captains and decorated players who have represented the country at several World Netball Championships and Asian Netball Championships.

De Alwis briefly served as the coach of the Sri Lanka national squad that was appointed with the aim of preparing for the 2021 Asian Netball Championship in South Korea, which was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prasadi most recently served as the head coach of the Sri Lanka team that finished runner-up at the 2024 Asian Netball Championship in Bangalore.

The Asian Senior Netball Championship 2026 is scheduled to be held from August 7 to 16 in Hong Kong. The tournament will also serve as the Asian qualifying competition for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, scheduled from July 28 to August 6, with the top two teams securing qualification for the global event.

In addition to the head coach position, interviews will also be conducted today for the role of voluntary assistant coach of the Sri Lanka team for which eight candidates, including national and international coaches and former players, have submitted applications.

Meanwhile, the NFSL is also considering appointing Jamaican coach Connie Francis as a consultant for Sri Lanka netball. Francis is an experienced international coach who has previously served as the head coach of the Jamaica national netball team.

As a player, she was part of Jamaica’s bronze-medal winning teams at the 1991 and 2003 World Netball Championships and the 1993 World Games. She also captained Jamaica at the 1995 and 1999 World Netball Championships.

The NFSL is reportedly planning to obtain the services of the foreign coach for a period of four months.