President of Netball Association Set for Fourth Term

Molly Rhone is set to continue her reign as President of the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) for another four years after being nominated as the sole candidate at the upcoming election.

Jamaican Rhone, a former international player, was first elected to the top position at a Congress held at the World Netball Championships in Kingston in 2003 and was re-elected for two years in 2005.

In 2007, the tenure of Presidency was extended from two to four years, meaning the upcoming term will be her fourth and take her Presidency into 12 years.

The Jamaican is already the longest-serving President of the world netball body and told the Jamaica Observer: “I think it’s a great honour, not just for me, but for my country Jamaica and it gives one an opportunity not only for netball, but also to work for my country.

“I didn’t get any feedback as to why nobody wanted to run, but I certainly have got some congratulatory messages and some people saying, ‘I think you’re doing a good job’.

“If I wasn’t being assessed by my membership and I wasn’t doing a good job, I’m sure somebody else would be up against me.”

Rhone has set the target during her next term, of helping the sport expand internationally to ultimately help it achieve its ambition of being included in the Olympics. 

She added: “It’s not easy to market women’s sports as we have discovered, but that’s our new thrust. 

“A lot of people see us as a Commonwealth sport and we are now more than that.”