The highly-anticipated MTC Netball Premier League, which was recently announced by Netball Namibia (NN), is expected to kick off as early as March next year.

Speaking to New Era Sport yesterday, NN vice president Rebecca Goagoses said they are looking at commencing with league activities by March next year, as it will be impossible to start now due to the widespread Covid-19 pandemic and the limited time frame.

According to Goagoses, the country’s first-ever premier league will consist of 12 teams, with six of those teams from the Khomas, Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions, while the remaining six spots will be filled by teams from the remaining 11 regions.

Goagoses added that NN will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September, where they will iron out the finer details and logistics before the league begins. 

“We plan to start the league next year – hopefully around March 2021. The league will comprise 12 teams, of which six of the teams have already booked their spots to the premier league. The six teams are from the netball active regions of Erongo, Khomas and Otjozondjupa. These three regions concluded their regional leagues late last year and we decided to choose two of the top teams in the three respective leagues to be part of the league. Meanwhile, the remaining six spots will be up for grabs from the rest of the regions.”

Goagoses also said they will soon engage all regional executives to properly craft a clear roadmap as far as the league is concerned.

“We also want to have our umpires improve their standards; it’s very vital for us to have everyone involved – and most of the things should be prepared before the league commence,” she added. NN recently received a three-year N$4.2 million sponsorship from MTC.

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na