After years of inactivity due to lack of sponsors, the Futsal Women’s League is set to make a long-anticipated return, chairman Andrei Tirterao has said.
The futsal women’s division was last played in 2023.
Since then, they have not had any active engagements.
Speaking at the Brave Gladiators 5 squad announcement at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) headquarters last week, Tirterao reflected on the remarkable growth of futsal in Namibia.
“When we started, we had less than 100 players. Over the years, through promotion and hard work, we have seen the sport grow significantly. Today, the league boasts over 800 registered players, something we could only dream of back then,” he said.
Despite the league’s rapid growth, he acknowledged the journey has not been easy, especially when it came to securing sponsorships.
“Challenges were always there, but we never gave up. I remember running this league without a core sponsor, which was extremely difficult. But our persistence has now paid off. We are here sending a team to the inaugural Futsal Africa Cup of Nations,” he stated.
Looking ahead, the chairman highlighted the importance of grassroots development to ensure the sport’s long-term sustainability. “We plan to introduce coaching and referee training courses. We are looking at expanding the league to other regions, especially in the north, where there is a lot of untapped talent,” Tirterao added.
He also highlighted efforts to introduce futsal at school level to develop young players early.
“If we nurture talent from a young age, we can create opportunities for Namibian players to compete internationally. It may take time, but I believe the future of futsal in Namibia is bright,” he said.
Meanwhile, the whole idea of introducing futsal at the school level has been welcomed by Namibia Schools Sport Union national coordinator Rodger Kambatuku.
“I am glad that efforts are being made to introduce such an exciting sport at the school level. If we expose children to a variety of sporting codes from an early age, we create more opportunities for them to excel. Not everyone will thrive in basketball or netball, so having more options allows pupils to find their strengths in different disciplines,” he said.
Futsal Namibia media manager Greyeno Rusberg says the lack of sponsors hampered the league from reaching its full potential, but positive things will happen.
“The current sponsorship from Namibia Diamond Trading Company covers the men’s premier league, and partially the first division. One of the challenges is the rental of the futsal field for league matches and tournaments, which Futsal Namibia has run at the Windhoek Showgrounds Plaza and at the DTS indoor arena last year. Futsal Namibia is putting in the right measures to include the other league divisions, which is in demand for the development of the futsal sport across the different ages and groups,” he added.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na