Minister congratulates Gib winning Netball squad

Minister for Sport, Steven Linares has congratulated the Gibraltar Netball Under 17 squad for their Gold Medal triumph in the Challenge section of the Championships held locally this past weekend. The presentation was carried out by the Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

“The win in the final game on Sunday was the icing on the cake of what was a fabulous weekend of Netball. The girls fought back from being behind at half time against Switzerland and recorded a brilliant win in what was an excellent three days of competition.

"Amy Pozo also deserves recognition as she was voted as the Best Player in her section which is a reflection of her excellent performances. However, every single member of that squad, including the coaches, deserves all the accolades afforded to them."

Mr Linares said the Gibraltar Netball Association (GNA) also had to be commended for the excellent work undertaken in hosting the event.

"Moira Gomez, her hard working committee and team of extra volunteers are definitely worthy of public recognition for putting on this showcase event.”

The Minister hosted a reception on the Sunborn Hotel on Saturday evening for delegates, officials, volunteers and team representatives.

"Having spoken to Netball Europe officials, they were extremely pleased with the general organisation of the Championships: those that have been to Gibraltar before highlighted the improvements made to the Bayside Sports Centre in general. Netball Europe’s official twitter feed described the GNA as the ‘host of the year’ and their good standing within Netball Europe was made very clear to me and is a testament to the GNA’s hard work and dedication," he said.

The event saw seven countries visiting with many family members and supporters accompanying the players and that can only be beneficial for Gibraltar. In addition, the tournament was live streamed with approximately five thousands hits per day which has also provided noteworthy exposure for Gibraltar in general.

"I must also not forget the Gibraltar Sport and Leisure Authority staff who have ensured that all of the GNA’s requirements have been met and have been on hand to assist where required and whose attention to detail has shone through," he added.