The Samoa Netball Association (S.N.A.) is looking three years ahead to the Commonwealth Youth Games with selection workshops underway for its Fast Five Netball team.

The Association is not wasting any time. 

The first of many workshops are starting next week Monday for grades eight to ten, said S.N.A. Chief Executive Officer, Rosemarie Esera.

Ms. Esera said with four years to train the Association is targeting younger players. 

By the Commonwealth Youth Games, the star team would still be in school, and part of a structure that makes it easier for them to train, she said.

It has been harder to retain players once they graduate from school, Ms. Esera said.

So far, 10 players have already registered for Monday’s workshop and she is expecting a lot more to come through.

Fast Five consists of having five players on each team during a match. Apart from the difference in the number of players, the netball game and court size remains the same.

Ms. Esera said the smaller team means players have to be as fit as possible to cover the entire court in just six-minute quarters.

As well as weekly training, any prospective player should consider running for 20 minutes a day to increase their fitness, she said.

On-court training will include court strategy, getting to the ball and being alert.

She also assured that the training environment is clean for the girls to train in, saying sanitizers are provided for the players to use.

The seventh Commonwealth Youth Games were scheduled to take place from August 1 to 7 2021 in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, earlier this year, the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Games was on Friday postponed to 2023 because of clash of dates with Tokyo Olympics, which has been pushed back by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Caribbean nation will continue to remain the first preference for hosting the Games.