Netball Namibia (NN) vice president Rebekka /Goagoses has hailed the just-concluded Debmarine Pent Series Netball Tournament as a huge success, saying the quality of netball speaks to how the five-day competition has matured.
While congratulating Uganda for being crowned champions of the 2021 Debmarine Pent Series Netball Tournament for the first time, /Goagoses said she was particularly impressed with the quality and intensity of the teams.
“It was successful because we managed to start and finish the games with no hindrance, and we congratulate Uganda on winning the Pent Series. In terms of facilities, as a country, we managed to meet the minimum standards required to host such a competition,” she toldºyesterday.
/Goagoses, however, pointed to the growing need for Namibia to set up more indoor netball facilities, as all countries are now moving in that direction.
“In order for us to attract and host more such top-quality world events, we will need to build indoor facilities. For us as an association, it will be a dream come true to have such a facility at our disposal.”
“We are also happy with the quality displayed by all the countries that participated. Our own Namibian Desert Jewels didn’t disappoint either. These types of competitions are needed so that we prepare our teams better for the World Cup qualifiers,” she noted.
Speaking at Friday’s closing ceremony of the Pent Series, sports minister Agnes Tjongarero also stressed the need to construct an indoor netball venue, and advised the leadership of NN to consider hosting the next edition of the games elsewhere from the stifling heat of the capital.
“I think we should consider hosting the next edition of this games at the coast; it’s much cooler there when compared to Windhoek. It was very hot, and speaks to the need for an indoor facility for these kinds of activities,” she observed.
Tjongarero furthermore urged NN to scout for the next group of netball players at the annual Youth Games, where players from all 14 regions are usually gathered.
The week-long event was held at the Israel Patrick Iyambo Police College in Olympia, and saw six countries partaking, led by eventual winners Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and host Namibia.
Namibia ended fourth overall, with two wins and three losses.
Uganda won all her five matches, amassing 347 goals for and 170 against. Malawi ended second, having lost only one match, while Zimbabwe ended third with two wins, one draw and two defeats. Zambia ended fifth with one win, one draw and three losses, while Kenya ended last with zero points.
The tournament’s inaugural edition took place in 2017 and was won by Zimbabwe. Namibia won in 2018. The 2019 edition did not take place due to internal decisions by NN, and the 2020 edition was called off as a result of the widespread Covid-19 pandemic.