Botswana Netball Association (BONA) has roped in Kate Carpenter as a Technical Advisor for the country’s Netball World Youth Cup team.
The New Zealand native is said to have already arrived in the country and is among the National Under-20 netball team delegation that left for the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Youth Games in Angola this past week.
Carpenter’s arrival was confirmed by the BONA president, Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego, who said the coach was appointed as a Technical Director to work with the current junior national team coaches, Botlhole Mmopi and Kagisano Mawela.
“I can confirm that we have roped in Carpenter as our Technical Advisor. She will be working with the current junior national team and its technical team as they prepare for the Netball World Youth Cup,” she confirmed.
Lebotse-Sebego said while they were always hunting for a coach to take over, given the short time left before the Netball World Youth Cup, BONA felt it would be easier to have a Technical Advisor instead.
“Hiring a new coach to take over would have been a tall order given the little time we have before the games. We therefore felt that rather than hiring a coach who will then have to start from scratch, it would be better if we found someone to work with Mmopi and Mawela,” she explained.
Lebotse-Sebego says Carpenter has already started working with the team, adding that she was with the team during its preparation camp in South Africa ahead of travelling to Angola.
The capture of the well travelled New Zealander brings to an end BONA’s hunt for an experienced coach to drill the junior national team ahead of the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup which will be hosted in Gaborone.
“She was one of the many mentors we were negotiating with as we searched for a new coach to lead the national team. We are therefore very happy to have her with us,” she explained.
In Carpenter, Lebotse-Sebego believes BONA has found themselves a well experienced coach.
Since starting her coaching career as the national team coach of Papua New Guinea in 1997, Carpenter has been national team coach of Tanzania, Fiji and Singapore.
While at Singapore, the New Zealander conceptualised the M1 Netball Super League, which has over the years attracted some international talent, among them youthful Batswana players such as Sarona Hans and Letang Mogotlhwane, just to name two.
Meanwhile, the BONA President has expressed gratitude at the help they have had from various stakeholders, among them the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC).
“At the time when we expressed our need, the BNOC committed to help us find a coach. It is due to their help that we got Carpenter,” she explained.
“We are also grateful to the BNSC for allowing our Under-20 netball team to go and compete at the AUSC region 5 games as part of our preparations for next year. If you recall, due to lack of funds, all team sports were cut off from Team Botswana that went to the AUSC games in Angola but netball was let off and we appreciate the gesture,” she concluded.
