Martha nets national award for netball

One cannot speak about the sport of netball in Tobago and not mention the name Martha Alicia Archer.

In fact, some may even argue that Archer and netball are one and the same.

It's hardly surprising then that Archer, 66, was awarded a Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for loyal and devoted service to TT in last Tuesday's Republic Day National Awards at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port of Spain.

Archer's late mother, Annetta Archer, also received a Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for education at the National Awards function in 2006.

Annetta's pre-school, established in Canaan, in 1949, is a household name in the community.

Of Tuesday's award, Archer told Newsday Tobago: "I feel elated actually. It is not something I had in my dreams at all when I decided to serve. It was because of my passion for the sport and for people I became involved in sport and culture."

With over 50 years of involvement in netball, Archer recalled she began playing the sport at the tender age of nine at the Bon Accord Government Primary School and after just eight years in the game, became an administrator in the Tobago Netball League.

"So, my administrative aspect started very early. I was just out of Scarborough Secondary School at the time," she said, adding she quickly became the league's secretary.

When those at the helm of the league at the time moved on, Archer decided to take on a bigger role in the organisation.

"I said somebody had to ensure the growth of netball on the island and I took up the mantle on my own and continued to work with different persons coming in to serve as president, and then I eventually became president."

During her tenure at the helm, Archer was the Tobago League's representative at meetings of the then TT Netball Association.

"I was on the general council body and I became president of the association in 1991. I served as president there for about 15 years."

She then served as the vice-president with responsibility for technical development.

Archer's administrative capabilities enabled her to become TT's delegate on the American Federation of Netball Association (AFNA), which was established in 1992.

"As vice-president, I served on that body for 24 years. The first president was Lystra Lewis and I became vice-president in 1994."

Archer said life membership in the American Federation of Netball Association was conferred on her last year in Barbados at a World Cup qualifier.

Although she was regarded as a highly competent defensive player during her active years in the netball, the mother of one said she never made it to the national team. She said this propelled her into administration.

"In my era, my attempts to make the team..... Lystra (Lewis) was not doing away with Janet Bailey and others, so I decided to focus more on administration to contribute to the development of netball in the country because you can serve in different ways."

Archer said she also realised a player's life span in netball was short "because if you become injured, you cannot continue.

"So, I preferred to do the administration and help in the growth of the sport."

Archer believes netball in Tobago is developing rapidly, especially in the primary and secondary schools.

"We have a very strong school base. Although I am not on the Tobago executive sinbce 2013, we have a very strong secondary and primary school base, which is the feeder for the national under-16 and we have constantly had national representation out of that."

She said this year, Tobago had seven players on the national under-16 team while last year had five.

"Prior to that, we had a minimum of three players on any under-16 team, from its inception, and some of these players, like Kemba Duncan, Aneicia Baptiste and Krista Winchester, moved on to the national senior level."

Archer said men's netball has always been a feature of the sport on the island.

"We had mixed tournaments all the time and people like George Leacock (Tobago Festivals Commission festivals director) would have played since then in the 70s into the 80s. We have always practised with the guys and then we started having men playing."

She said Tobago's current administrators now have designated men's teams that participate actively in competitions in TT and throughout the region.

A retired business services manager at the Water and Sewerage Authority, Archer said juggling her work responsibilities with sport and managing her home was never a problem.

She said her strong family base ensured her daughter was well taken care of during her years as a globe-trotting netball administrator.

Archer also commended her employers for supporting her activities.

"They strongly supported me and in accordance with the regulations, provided me with the required time off to perfom national duty. So, I never had a challenge and I must say kudos to the managers and management of WASA at the time."

Today, Archer holds the reputation of being the first Tobagonian to head a national association. She is also the first national to serve beyond one term in AFNA.

Archer said she is still actively involved in her community. She serves as chairman of the Crown Point J'Ouvert Committee and is also deeply involved in Best Village.

She was also the first chairman of the Tobago House of Assembly Sports Committee and secretary of Canaan/Bon Accord's first Tobago Heritage Festival Committee.