3 months ago
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AS THE Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) tipped off its second season after an almost decade-long hiatus on Sunday, league coordinator Angelee LaTouche said the goal is to rebuild the passion for women’s basketball in Jamaica.
The WNBL held its opening games on Sunday at the National Stadium courts with all four teams taking part in the competition.
The Warriors fell to the Panthers 38-55, and the Eagles got the better of the Celtics, 62-44.
LaTouche explained that while the WNBL only has four teams, the league has a pool of just around 60 players ready to compete but that more would be needed for there to be more teams.
“Currently, we have around 60 players who are in the league, but not all of them have been placed on a team because of availability,” she explained.
“We do have over 12 players for each team. It is just a matter of availability of players that makes the league smaller. If we can get all our players coming out, then we’d have more teams based on the interest we’ve seen.”
The league coordinator, however, admitted that the WNBL has lost a lot of its regular supporters and is currently in rebuilding mode.
LaTouche, who competed as a player in the past, said the lack of a sustainable league has done a lot of damage to what had been a strong women’s basketball community.
“As we know, basketball is a secondary sport in Jamaica, and we also know there is always a disparity for women’s sport compared to the men’s sport,” she said.
“Added to that, we have been out of competition for approximately 10 years prior to last season. We did lose all our fanbase during that time.
“When I was playing basketball in Jamaica, that is around 2004 and 2005, we had a steady and healthy fanbase. However, it’s clear after a lengthy time of inaction, you will lose that fanbase.”
Yet the goal of building the WNBL is not one the league organisers can achieve on their own. LaTouche said they will need the support of corporate Jamaica to join the revival project.
She said for now, the league has been dependent on the limited resources of the Jamaica Basketball Association and the exposure of the men’s National Basketball League.
“One of the main constraints that we’re facing is our financing. Where there are no resources, then nothing can happen, and we know nothing can happen without money,” she said.
“I believe if we can get more financial resources or help, then we can get the girls back to where we were before, but right now, we have to be piggybacking off the men’s league and their assistance for exposure.”
She continued, “A lot of this is based on the financial constraints that the Jamaican Basketball Association has overall, and when you don’t have a lot in the association in the first place, then not much can be passed on to the women.”
English (US) ·