Male coaches ‘biggest challenge’ to African netballers—Mary Waya

Sam Kanyenda, the Queens’ coach at the 2023 Netball World Cup

* You will find that when you go to the competition, to the changing rooms, you feel insecure because of these male coaches

* If they are female coaches, you feel safe because you have got a ‘mother’ near you — you know ‘I’m protected’

* Different gender dynamics between male and female coaches and players can cause problems

By Duncan Mlanjira

Malawi’s celebrated netball legend, Mary Waya — who was among top analysts for the 2023 Netball World Cup that was hosted by South Africa from July 28-August 6 — has told the media that she believes the behaviour of some male coaches in African netball remains the “biggest challenge” for female players.

Three of the coaches for the African teams at the Netball World Cup were male — Sam Kanyenda for the Queens, Fred Mugerwa for Uganda and Ropafadzo Mutsauki for Zimbabwe while the hosts, South Africa were led by Dorette Badenhorst.

Waya, who earned more than 200 appearances for Malawi, playing in multiple editions of the World Netball Championships, the Commonwealth Games and World Netball Series, added that women are pressured into relationships in the hope of securing selection.

Malawi legend Mary Waya believes the behaviour of some male coaches in African netball remains the “biggest challenge” for female players, claiming that they are made to feel “insecure” by the male coaches.

A report on BBC quotes Waya as telling the Africa Daily podcast: “Most African teams have male coaches, so that’s the biggest challenge,” adding that the issue has endured since she was a teenage player.

“You will find that when you go to the competition, to the changing rooms, you feel insecure because of these male coaches.”

The BBC highlights that the Queens’ best ever finish at the Netball World Cup was fifth in New Zealand in 2007 and in this 2023 edition, they were 7th.

But Waya, according to the BBC, believes different gender dynamics between male and female coaches and players can cause problems: “If they are female coaches, you feel safe because you have got a ‘mother’ near you — you know ‘I’m protected’.

“With male coaches, we always look at them as our ‘fathers’ and then they easily tell us, ‘I’m not your father — if you want to go to the national team, you have to be my [girlfriend], so that you can be at the top of the team’.”

The BBC also acknowledged that Waya, “who has been part of the sport for 25 years and acted as a commentator at the 2023 World Cup in South Africa, watched Malawi impress at the tournament as the sixth-best team in the world secured wins over Scotland, Barbados, Fiji and Tonga during the preliminary stages”.

“Despite her concerns around male coaches, the flag bearer for her country at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi said netball remains hugely beneficial to players.”

She is then quoted as saying: “It gives us mental and physical health. It shows us that we can be empowered and do things with our own mind and strength.”

Before the World Cup, another netball legend, Peace Chawinga-Kalua was in charge of the Queens even during preparatory PacificAus Sports Netball Series held in South Africa in May in which they claimed silver after losing 41-54 to Tonga in the final.

Playing back-to-back games, the Queens beat Fiji 54-47 in their opening match; went on to beat Papua New Guinea 64-49 but lost 46-50 to Zambia to reach the semifinals — in which they beat same Zambia 48-35.

Chawinga-Kalua told the media then that in the absence of 7 of her key players playing abroad the home-based players demonstrated they were good players to represent Malawi flag, adding that the PacificAus Series were good preparations for the Netball World Cup.

But in controversial circumstances, Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) opted to engage Sam Kanyenda to lead the team to the South African tournament.

The Queens earned 7th place after beating Tonga for the second time in three days by 64-54 having earlier beaten them 56-51.

They opened their campaign by beating Scotland 54-49 before losing 39-62 against England in the next and thumped Barbados 84-48 in the third match.

In the match against Australia, the Queens managed to rattle the world No. 1 by drawing 28-28 at half time but an injury by playmaker Lwazi in the third quarter disturbed coach Sam Kanyenda’s game plan and they went on to lose 46-70. They then lost 46-57 to Uganda in a tussle for 5th/6th place.

Fred Mugerwa’s Uganda settled for 5th place after beating the hosts South Africa 49-47 — their best ever at a World Cup with Dorette Badenhorst finishing 6th while Zimbabwe’s Ropafadzo Mutsauki side were 13th.

Meanwhile, the BBC further talked to South Africa’s deputy minister of sports, arts & culture, Nocawe Mafu, who is quoted as saying they were “over the moon” at hosting the Netball World Cup but also called for greater equality.

“The main target was about motivating young women, girls and children, and making sure that it actually helps to promote women’s sport in the country and Africa in general,” she said of the tournament.

“Women in sport, in general, are doing well but they are not recognised at the same level as men,” she told the BBC. “In most cases, they are doing much better than men because they have to prove themselves to the world.

“It’s not supposed to be like that, but that’s the way it is. And therefore governments and federations cannot be faulted much in terms of concentrating on men who are not putting their best foot forward, compared to women. The world is still patriarchal in nature.”

Mafu said netball is played by 90% of women and young girls in South Africa and hopes the Cape Town edition will also prove inspiring.

“It becomes important that events you are hosting, like the World Cup, become a catalyst for making sure that the world recognises women are actually equal to men,” she told the BBC.

The final placings at the World Cup in Cape Town are:

Gold: Australia

Silver: England

Bronze: Jamaica

4. New Zealand

5. Uganda

6. South Africa

7. Malawi

8. Tonga

9. Wales

10. Scotland

11. Fiji

12. Trinidad and Tobago

13. Zimbabwe

14. Barbados

15. Singapore

16. Sri Lanka