Maurice Kambukwe
Cricket Namibia (CN) has expressed satisfaction with its schools outreach development programme, which started last year with the aim of creating awareness, develop and grow the game of cricket at school level and communities.
The programme also saw CN donate several portable pitches to various schools in different parts of the country. The tour also offered coaching courses and clinics and introduced participants to FNB Kwata programmes for early grassroots cricket development.
Speaking to New Era Sport, CN marketing manager Natalia Nauyoma reflected on the roadshow saying the local cricket presiding authority is satisfied with how the schools and public welcomed and took ownership of the programme.
“It was a great roadshow, we managed to visit five towns namely Otjiwarongo, Okahandja, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Keetmanshoop, where we also distributed portable cricket pitches at those respective areas. The schools which benefited are Parkies Primary School, Walvis Bay Primary, Walvis Bay Private High and Maarssen Primary School in Outjo, while another pitch is being used at the Doc Jubber fields in Windhoek,” explained Nauyoma.
CN also hosted the Kwata cricket course at Gobabis and Khorixas, where teachers from three schools attended the course and taught how to groom learners into competing young cricketers.
“We also had a coaching clinic which was mostly offered to teachers for them to further implement the skills at a school level. We offered pieces of training to teachers in Khorixas who were very keen to develop the sport at their schools.”
Relieved that they could fully implement their programme ahead of the recent coronavirus outbreak, Nauyoma said CN was fortunate but somehow distraught because the plan was to reach many schools as possible.
“We were fortunate that we planned ahead of time before the spread of the Covid-19, which at the moment has halted so many projects around the country. The roadshow initially ended late February and luckily, we had already donated all five portable pitches to schools that were targeted. The pitches were donated to schools that actively play cricket and we have new schools that we will donate other pitches to very soon once everything is calm with the virus.”
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na