Hilma Nalupe
Yesterday, the FNB Namibia FirstRand Foundation sponsored Unam Phoenix with N$350 000 for their FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa qualifiers, which will take place in Windhoek from 6 to 10 November.
The pool for the qualifiers went down from eight teams participating in southern Africa to three. Namibia, Angola, and Malawi are all vying for the two positions to move over to the next round. The Unam Phoenix hope to be one of the two teams to make it to the next round.
Ashley Linda, vice-captain of the Unam Phoenix, said the team knows it will be a difficult fight for them to qualify, but they will not back down.
“We have been working hard, and we are hoping to use our strengths against them and qualify to go play in Egypt,” she shared.
President of the Namibia Basketball Federation, Nigel Mubita, praised FNB’s partnership with basketball, saying, “Without their support, we would not have reached the level we are at today. They have enabled us to host an event of this magnitude, which is the FIBA Women’s Basketball League Africa qualifiers.”
Sponsorship and Social Impact Manager at FNB FirstRand, Revonia Job said FNB Namibia is heavily invested in supporting sport development in the country, the Namibian child, and in building a globally competitive Namibia.
“FNB takes pride in investing in the lives of athletes across the country and most of the sport codes, not just basketball. We are involved in sports development programs from grassroots to national teams, because it is important for health, community development, and contributing to the national development,” Job said.
She further stated that she hopes that the ladies make it to the top two and gain qualification to play in Egypt.