The town of Okongo in the Ohangwena Region will this weekend host Namibia Netball Premier League (NNPL) matches for the first time, as Netball Namibia implements its plan to decentralise the game.
In an interview with Nampa on Thursday, Netball Namibia (NN) vice president, marketing and sponsorships, Rebecca Goagoses, said the 2022 MTC NNPL season is interesting and teams are better prepared than in the past.
“This season we are seeing good action as the defending champions registered their first win of the season. This shows that the MTC NNPL is not a walk in the park as teams are now preparing well for their games,” Goagoses said.
She added that last season the league went down to the wire, with two teams fighting for the title, but this year there are more than five teams that stand a chance of lifting the title.
“With Namibia Correctional Services losing their first match of the season, it opened up the log standing. The title chase is now wide open and teams that play well can lift the trophy this season,” she said.
She also stated that some of the newly promoted teams in the league have started pulling their weight.
“Walvis Bay Netball Club had their first win in the league and we hope it will be the start of good things as the second round of the league will be competitive,” said Goagoses, who called on clubs to start soliciting funds from their supporters or sponsors in their regions as MTC is currently doing what they could but it’s not enough to maintain all the teams’ travelling expenses.
Goagoses added that despite the MTC NNPL reaching its pinnacle, the league will go on a break to allow the national team to prepare for an African World Cup qualifiers warm-up competition that will be held in Malawi.
“We will travel to Malawi for a competition that will be held from 10 to 15 June 2022. We will also take the Under-19 team to this competition as they are the future, as well as to prepare them for the Region Five Games,” she said.
Round 09 and 10 of the MTC NNPL will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday’s fixtures will see Namibian Navy facing Tigers at 11h00, Otjozondjupa NamPol against Northern Fly Ballers at 12h20, while Rebels will face Namibian Correctional Services at 13h40, Afrocat Lions and Mighty Gunners will square off at 15h50, while Young Stars and Eleven Arrows will face each other at 17h00.
Sunday fixtures will see Eleven Arrows facing Might Gunners at 08h30 and Namibian Navy taking on Rebels at 09h40.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
