It’s play hard, laugh harder for Singapore’s national netball team as it gears up for competition. Laura Dannen sits courtside for a training session

Coach Lisa Beehag stands centrecourt, hands on hips, issuing orders to her squad: ‘Harder! Throw it harder! Balance, balance! Get it out in front of her!’

The Singapore national netball team shuffles, runs, shuffles; balls fly, sweat drips. By any indication, practising full-throttle six days a week – after eight hours of work or school, no less – would be exhausting. But then you hear the giggles. Even during sprints, they giggle. And while many coaches try to instil the fear of the netball gods into his or her players, Beehag leads with a smile, with encouragement. It actually seems like they’re having…fun?

In a world where sports teams often assume the stern-faced seriousness of a country dependent on their victories for its survival, Singapore’s netball team seems to be coping well with the pressure as it trains for the Fisher & Paykel Nations Cup. Six teams will compete in this week-long event starting on 31 August, including Samoa, ranked sixth in the world; it’s the stiffest competition Singapore (ranked 15th) will have faced since the 2007 World Championships in New Zealand. Botswana, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland are also slated to play.

Netball, which started out in the US and UK as ‘women’s basketball’ (though in skirts, and minus the dribbling and backboards), is now the fastest growing women’s sport in Singapore. Since Netball Singapore’s official inception in 1962, more than 80,000 players have hit the court, whether in social or competitive leagues. Australian Beehag joined the national team only recently, arriving from the netball mecca of New South Wales. She brings decades of experience (she’s been playing the sport since she was ten) and a desire to get the local girls into fighting shape before Singapore hosts the World Championships in 2011.

‘I’m trying to get us a bit more resilient before we play against the bigger Aussies and Kiwis and islanders,’ says Beehag, nodding to the slim girls behind her warming up. The team isn’t so much a motley crew as a socially diverse one; players are aged between 17 and 30, and cover a range of occupations, from students to teachers, marketing managers to business executives. There’s also Li Ling, the only full-time netballer who originally came to Singapore from China to play basketball. Though she’s only been playing for the national team since March 2005, she rarely missed a shot during training and runs with a lightness and speed that belie her height (at 188cm she’s easily the tallest on the team). When asked to point out the main differences between basketball and netball (besides the obvious), she noted that basketball caters more to the one-man show. ‘You need more teamwork for netball,’ she says. ‘In netball, you have to pass in three seconds, so you have to work hard to get the ball off.’

The team aspect is what draws a lot of the women to the game, says Tan Hui Yan, one of the other goal shooters. ‘Netball is a release for us,’ says the 26- year-old admin executive. ‘We look forward to seeing each other [after the work day].’ Hui Yan even gets to run up and down the court with her 23-year-old sister, Chen Huifen. The two grew up playing netball and have even convinced their youngest sister to give the game a try; they admit, though, that not all women in Singapore receive the same kind of encouragement to play sports. ‘It depends a lot on the parents,’ says Huifen. ‘Some put a lot of emphasis on academics. Our parents allowed us to do whatever we wanted.’ But even with the nationwide push for Singaporeans to be more active, sometimes life just gets in the way of playtime. Members of the national team have come and gone because they had to ‘do the things women do, like have babies’, says Beehag.

The team is working hard to put in a strong showing at the Nations Cup, playing at least two hours per training session and sometimes not getting home and to bed until midnight. They even have pre-game rituals – the kind that shows they’re still keeping things, well, light. ‘[We focus on] cleaning the bowel system to be lighter on the court,’ says Huifen. ‘We have to avoid “emergency calls” during the game.’

The Fisher & Paykel Nations Cup runs from 31 Aug-6 Sep.

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Game on
Netball not your sport? Check out any of these other amateur women’s leagues

Basketball
This BBAXN league is not for the weak-ankled. Come ready to compete – players are experienced, and games competitive; age range is wide open though, from 16 to 40+. The women’s Saturday afternoon league is still accepting ‘free agents’ on its website, so go to www.bbaxn.com to register.

Football
Now well into its inaugural season with ESPZEN, the first women’s five-aside football league is still looking for new players from all skill levels to join. Games are on Tuesday nights at East Coast Park. It’s a social league, so grab a beer after the game. Go to www.espzen.com/futsal or email singladiesfootball@gmail.com for more information.

Hockey
Though the ANZA (Australia and New Zealand) women’s league is a fledgling one, plans are still in the works to get people together to play hockey (field, not ice) on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings at Hockey Village (88 Boon Lay Place). Help the cause and sign up; call Stephen Whitton (9134 1105), or email anzatornados@hotmail.com.

Tennis
The Women’s Inter-Club Tennis Singapore (it sounds so classy it hurts) boasts more than 450 members across six skill divisions, from beginners to top-level players. Matches are typically in the morning (usually 8-9am), and the league is currently accepting new registrants for its Sept-Nov season. Sign up by 29 August to play doubles and 12 September for singles at www.witsingapore.net.

Ultimate Frisbee
There are unisex pickup games nearly every day of the week for all skill levels, so there’s no excuse not to toss the disc. Just bring water, cleats or trainers, and both a white and dark shirt.
See here for more information, or go to www.singaporeultimate.com.

Website of the month
www.womenandsports.sg for other activities, including dragon boating, race and triathlon updates.