Lystra Lewis

Lystra Lewis (1924 – 4 July 2009) was a pioneering netball coach, umpire and administrator. In 1960, she was a founding member of the International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball Associations, later to become World Netball. In 1963 she was made a member of the Order of the British Empire. Between 1963 and 1979, she served as the Trinidad and Tobago head coach at five World Netball Championships. In 1979 she was head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team that shared the gold medal with Australia and New Zealand. She later served as president of the Americas Federation of Netball Associations and help launch both the Caribbean Netball Association and the United States of America Netball Association.

Early life, family and education Lewis was born in 1924 in Woodbrook, Port of Spain. She was the fifth of six children and was active in sport from an early age, taking part in netball, cricket, table tennis and athletics. She attended the Tranquillity Girls' Intermediate School.

Playing career As a youth, Lewis played netball for Tranquillity Girls' Intermediate School. Between 1930 and 1944, she was a member of Malvern Sports Club. By the time Lewis was 13, she began recruiting young girls to play on the Malvern netball team.

Coaching career Trinidad and Tobago Lewis first coached the Trinidad and Tobago national netball team in 1952. Competitive netball among Caribbean and West Indies countries started in 1954 with a triangular tournament featuring Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. In 1954, Lewis was instrumental in establishing the West Indies Netball Board in an effort to formalise these early West Indies Netball Championships. Between 1963 and 1979, Lewis served as head coach of Trinidad and Tobago at five World Netball Championships. In 1979 she was head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago team that shared the gold medal with Australia and New Zealand.

Tournaments Place1963 World Netball Championships The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and an editorial in the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian all acknowledged her significant contribution to the development of netball in Trinidad and Tobago. At her funeral service on 8 July 2009 at St Crispin's Anglican Church in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Canon Knolly Clarke gave the homily and Molly Rhone was one of several people to pay tribute. The mourners included notable Trinidad and Tobago politicians, Joan Yuille-Williams and Donna Cox, and Trinidad and Tobago sports administrators, Jack Warner and Deryck Murray, as well as past and present members of the Trinidad and Tobago national netball team, including the then captain, Rhonda John-Davis. The Lystra Lewis Netball Courts are located within Nelson Mandela Park in St Clair, Port of Spain.