Sri Lanka looking for foreign netball expert

By Susil Premalal

The Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) has decided to contract a foreign consultant coach as part of its preparations for the Asian Senior Netball Championship 2026 in Hong Kong and the Netball World Cup 2027 Asian  qualification campaign.

Accordingly, discussions are already underway to secure the services of a Jamaican consultant coach, with the NFSL aiming to strengthen the national team ahead of key international challenges. 

Regional rivals have taken similar steps, with Singapore, the 2024 Asian champions, working with an Australian coach and Malaysia, who finished third, supported by a New Zealand coach.

The 14th Asian Senior Netball Championship will be held from August 6 to 16 in Hong Kong, while the Netball World Cup 2027 is scheduled for July 27 to August 6 in Sydney, Australia. 

Only the champions and runners-up from Asia will qualify for the World Cup, making the tournament highly competitive among the 14 participating nations.

Due to recent administrative issues, Sri Lanka has yet to name a national squad or head coach. To address this, the NFSL plans to conduct talent identification trials on February 21 and 22 in Colombo after which a 60-member national player pool will be selected.

Former national coaches Hyacinth Wijesinghe and Tilaka Jinadasa are already serving as consultant coaches. 

It is reported that a netball selection committee has been appointed by the Sports Ministry though its members have not yet been officially announced.