Netball heavyweights say no to discreet officials

By Susil Premalal

Hyacinth Wijesinghe	Tilaka Jinadasa

Two of Sri Lanka’s internationally reputed netball coaches, Hyacinth Wijesinghe and Tilaka Jinadasa, have decided not to apply for the post of head coach of the Sri Lanka team for the upcoming Asian Senior Netball Championship 2026 in Hong Kong.

Sources said that PD Prasadi, who guided Sri Lanka to a runners-up finish at the 2024 Asian Netball Championship in Bangalore, is expected to decide today whether she will reapply for the position.

The Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) has called for applications for the posts of head coach and assistant coach of the national team. The deadline for applications closes today.

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

Wijesinghe and Jinadasa have reportedly based their decision on the limited preparation time available to build a team for a major international tournament, as well as the lack of official clarification regarding allowances and facilities for the coaching staff.

At present, Hyacinth Wijesinghe serves as a consultant netball coach in Bahrain while Thilaka Jinadasa worked as a consultant netball coach in Brunei.

Both coaches have previously guided Sri Lanka to Asian Senior Netball Championship titles on two occasions each.
Meanwhile, the NFSL had also held discussions about recruiting an international consultant coach for the Asian Championship campaign. However, the move was reportedly abandoned after the foreign coach demanded a monthly salary exceeding one million rupees, according to netball sources.