Former Dominica Netball player Loreen Bannis-Roberts has issued a call to employers to give time out to sportsmen and women in Dominica with pay to represent their country.
For years now, this has been a “vexing issue” and there seems to be no solution as sportsmen/women continue to grapple with employers who pay total disregard and treat employees who are called for national duty with disdain.
Bannis-Roberts is presently UN Ambassador to Dominica and is also a former president of the Dominica Netball Association (DNA).
Dominica will host the OECS/ECCB Netball tournament from February 13, 2022, at Windsor Park and she has been appointed as Special Envoy for Netball to Dominica.
At a DNA press conference, Bannis-Roberts stated that she is concerned that “employers must understand that when someone is selected to represent Dominica, they are an ambassador to the country.”
“I think that a certain level of respect must go to that…a national team player, cannot and should not and ought not to use their annual vacation to represent the country. Time off with pay must be granted to a player,” she said.
A former government Minister, Bannis-Roberts stated that it is time that this vexing issue is put to rest and policy needs to be put in place to address this issue.
“In fact, from the time a player is selected for trials, there should be a set protocol in place to deal with that and also once you make the national team another set of policy so that everybody is clear that once you are on national duties you should be entitled to time off with pay. Allowance for meals/ also for transportation to practice,” the former national player stated.
She labeled the situation an “irritant” and says that it is time that after a person has put so much that they don’t have a salary after representing Dominica.
“We have come of age and after a person represents Dominica and put in the hard work does not have a salary makes no sense. It is time that all sporting organizations and government need to have a deep discussion on that issue and get rid of this irritant,” Bannis-Roberts stated.
The former DNA President and national Netball player says that she has recommended that later this year (November) Dominica should take part in the AFNA Qualifiers in Jamaica.
“Once we get qualified there, we are entitled to participate in the World Games in South Africa in 2023, we have to get to that level and must attend these tournaments,” She posited.
She also called on the DNA to ensure that all its affiliation fees are paid and always in order.
“We must pay our affiliation fees; I work closely with the Netball executive in Dominica and they understand where we want to take Netball. Dominica should take part in order regional tournaments; hence we have to ensure that we have the facilities, the players, accommodation and everything because sports tourism is huge and can really help a country and this is a niche market that we as a country need to tap into,” Bannis-Roberts said.