Windhoek

Netball Namibia has been granted the rights to host the 2015 edition of the Africa Netball Championship. The continental tournament will be held in Windhoek from June 27 to July 4, 2015.

President of Netball Namibia, Lydia Mutenda, expressed delight at Namibia being granted rights to host the championship, saying the opportunity is a platform to revive netball in the country by encouraging more people to participate in the sport.

She also said the African competition is an opportunity to also motivate schools and community clubs to take netball seriously. Just like other codes, she said, netball offers an opportunity for players to compete and rub shoulders with their peers in other countries, learning from them and sharing what Namibia has to offer as a country.

Mutenda also thanked the government, through the Namibia Sport Commission for

giving the netball federation the green light to host the competition, as well as providing financial and logistical support.

“We can’t thank our stakeholders enough for the immense support they have offered us from the day we applied to host this competition. We are confident that whatever accrues from this tournament will be to the benefit of netball as a sport code and the country in general,” Mutenda said.

So far, eight countries, including Namibia, have confirmed participation. The seven visiting countries are expected to be in Namibia a few days before the commencement of the African Netball Championship.

Mutenda called on all Namibians to attend the matches and support the competition in general and the Namibian team in particular.

“We must show our African sisters and brothers that we are a sport loving nation. Let’s go out there and encourage our national team players to do well for the country,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mutenda has announced that the names of the Namibian squad will be made public in due course.