WINDHOEK – Following its disastrous campaign in the Africa World Cup Qualifiers in Botswana this year, Netball Namibia, has resolved to roll up her sleeves in an effort to arrest the declining standards of local Netball.
Netball’s mother body is to introduce the Netball Namibia Senior National Championships early next year in an effort to reignite interest and revive the ailing fortunes of the ladies game.
The decision follows in the aftermath of the country’s lukewarm showing at the World Cup qualifiers hosted by Botswana in its commercial capital Gaborone, in September this year.
The below par performance saw the Desert Jewels finish with the wooden spoon in the seven nation week long tournament – much to the chagrin of local sports followers.
Netball Namibia was obliged to convene an emergency gathering to assess the team’s lackluster display and various factors that could have led to Namibia’s failure to qualify for the Netball World Cup, to be hosted by netball powerhouse Australia, next year.
Apart from inadequate funding and late preparation, Netball Namibia has found that lack of regular competition for the senior national team was among the major obstacles and a contributing that led to the poor showing in Botswana.
The gathering concluded to reintroduce the popular annual National Senior Championships to be contested by all the 14 regions.
“This annual tourney will also serve as a platform to select a well represented national team to participate in the upcoming African Netball Championship, slated for Lusaka, Zambia in May next year,” enthusiast NN Public Relations Officer Rebekka Goagoses-Nekundi said.
The new concept will offer a 2-day of significant and incredible engagement from the best netball talents in the country and the envisaged competition will be administered in accordance with the International Netball Federation (INF) standards and regulations.
By Carlos Kambaekwa