Japandera Kamburona was recently elected president of the Namibia Rural Sport Development Federation (NRSDF).
Kamburona pledged to collaborate with all regional rural sports associations to identify and nurture grassroots talent across the country. Speaking to the federation’s core mission, Kamburona said “Our goal is to develop sport in rural areas”.
He acknowledged the unique challenges that rural sports face compared to urban centres, highlighting infrastructure deficits, lack of proper equipment and limited financial resources as the main hurdles.
Despite these obstacles, the federation runs a year-long calendar of programmes that focus primarily on soccer and netball tournaments across Namibia. “Through these tournaments, a lot of players from football and netball are being scouted by top clubs in the country. Some are now playing at high levels in the Premier League, as well as in South Africa and Botswana top leagues,” Kamburona stated. Football and netball remain the organisation’s priority sports because other codes are managed by separate organisations.
In his new term, Kamburona aims to expand engagement with schools, believing that grassroots talent often begins in the classroom.
Previously, the federation mostly collaborated with communities and local authorities.
Funding remains a challenge for rural sports development.
Currently, the federation relies solely on an affiliation fee of N$500 per each of its 17 members, totalling N$8 500.
While no corporate sponsors or international partners have joined yet, Kamburona expressed openness to collaborations that could strengthen the programme and ensure smoother operations.
The federation has produced notable success stories, with athletes like Deon Hotto Kavendjii, who came through Okavezemba All Stars, and Denzel Hoaseb from Epukiro All Stars making a mark in football.
In netball, players such as Jatjinda Kambatuku Tjihero from Aminius All Stars have emerged through NRSDF initiatives.
Kamburona noted that many more athletes have benefitted from the programme, though only a few can be mentioned.
Looking ahead, Kamburona sees significant opportunities for growth in rural sports over the next five to ten years.
Plans include establishing a local rural sports league for soccer and netball, although financial limitations remain a key obstacle.
Expansion of infrastructure, such as sports fields and training facilities, is also a long-term goal, but development will depend on securing sufficient funding.
In alignment with national sports policies and international best practices, Kamburona confirmed that NRSDF follows the Namibia Football Association (NFA) rules and is in the process of registering with the Namibia Sport Commission. Promotion remains a key challenge.
While local radio, social media and newspapers help, television coverage is almost non-existent, limiting exposure for rural athletes.