The town of Otjiwarongo will this weekend play host to the MTC Netball Namibia Premier League (NNPL) first round of matches, which will see a raft of exciting games on display at the popular Paresis courts.
Action officially gets underway tomorrow with a clash between Otjozondjupa Nampol and Afrocat Lions, which will then be followed by another thrilling fixture between Namibia Correctional Services (NCS) and Wanderers.
Coastal side Eleven Arrows will also be in action tomorrow against Rebels, while Northern Fly Ballers will take on the Namibian Navy team, and Tigers will be in action against Young Stars. Otjozondjupa Nampol will take to the court to face Wanderers.
But the biggest highlight of tomorrow matches will be the clash between home side Mighty Gunners, who will open their 2023 NNPL campaign against newly promoted side Fatou Netball Club at the same venue.
Gunners will be at home and will be looking to start off strongly with a win, with mentor Desire Namases saying they will be ready to dust off some unwanted rust with a possible win against the league rookies.
“It will be a challenging season as all the teams are looking good and have recruited new players. But we remain confident in ourselves and will not put ourselves under unnecessary pressure. We have done our homework ahead of this season, and have also managed to keep all our players together. We have also added some new players, and I believe they too will add a different element to the team,” said a confident Namases.
The Namibian Navy are also gunning for a perfect start to the season in their match against Northern Fly Ballers, and their coach Charles Muukua has promised that they will not drop the ball tomorrow.
“I’m yet to see how the team will look on the court, but I believe we are ready. We have been training hard and the girls are looking quite fit. The problem we have is that we lost some of our top players to other teams like the NSC, who recruited some of our very best players. However, I still believe that the new players will do a great job and help the team this season,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dimitri Bittler of Afrocat Lions equally complained that they too lost a lot of their key players to other teams, but nonetheless maintained that they will be ready for the weekend’s action.
“It’s a tough season. We have lost a lot of players to government-owned teams because they have been offered jobs. However, I think we can do better as we have enough young players in the team who are all looking to make their mark in the top-flight netball league. So, we will go out there and do our utmost best,” he stated.
Bittler added that despite losing key players, it will also be a great opportunity for the team’s young players to step up, fight for places in the starting line-up, and possibly earn bigger career opportunities.
Action will continue on Sunday, with Afrocat Lions squaring off against Young Stars, while Arrows will be in action against Fatou. Northern Fly Ballers will play against Tigers while the Navy team takes on Rebels.
Gunners will wrap up the weekend activities with a clash against NCS.
All matches will be played at the Paresis courts.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na