Losing players to top teams and inadequate training are some of the key factors that led to northern based Young Stars relegation, said head coach David Tutaleni.

Young Stars Netball Club and Tsumeb Netball Club are the latest teams to find themselves relegated from the country’s topflight MTC Namibian Netball Premier League.

The play-offs will be held in mid-November.

Reflecting on their journey in the premier league, Tutaleni, who took over midway through the season, said it was a challenging campaign. The team struggled with losing key players to bigger clubs and dealing with inconsistent training. As a result, they were unable to build momentum from the start.

“I would say it was a great season; we learned a lot from playing in the topflight and sharing courts with the country’s best teams. But from the beginning, we faced challenges, like players not showing up to training consistently and losing players who either joined teams that pay better or left to further their studies,” he explained.

Reflecting on their season, Sophilia Mendes of Tsumeb Netball Club said it was a good yet gruelling experience. She added that despite the outcome, they now know what to expect and plan to regroup.

“It was our first attempt, and I’d say it was a great journey for the team, although it didn’t end as we had projected at the start of the season. One important thing I learned is that if you want to compete in the topflight league, you have to put in more work and be physically present on the court,” she said.

“However, we lost key players mid-season to other clubs, which was a massive setback. This forced us to make a lot of changes mid-season, and we had to recruit new players who weren’t quite fit for the league. We had to learn the hard way,” she added.

The relegation of these two teams has raised concerns about a growing trend in the league’s top players being lured away by bigger teams. According to the coaches of both teams, this not only disrupted team cohesion but also had a significant impact on their overall performance, raising broader concerns about the future competitiveness and stability of smaller clubs in the league.

Last year, Netball Namibia changed its relegation rules. Initially, four teams were set to be relegated, but the rules were later revised so that only two teams are relegated, while the other two bottom teams compete in the playoffs against the winners from various lower divisions. 

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na