The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture is aware of the domination of netball by netball clubs owned by the country’s armed forces.
The recently concluded MTC Netball National Premier League was won for the third consecutive year by the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) Netball Club, with Otjozondjupa Nampol Netball Club coming second.
When asked whether there are any plans to level the playing field, in that netball clubs of the correctional service and the police force do have advantages such as state facilities and players receive government salaries, Executive Director for the Youth, Sports and National Service department Mr Gerald Vries says that they are aware of the situation, so that out of the twelve clubs in the MTC Netball Premier League, government has been providing transport support to six community clubs that face financial challenges in meeting travel requirements for league fixtures.
“Although the playing field may not seem completely level, we appreciate the presence of members of the uniformed forces, as they create employment opportunities and attract athletes to netball and sport in general,” says Vries.
“This is a trend observed across many African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where top football and netball clubs are often affiliated with the mentioned entities.
“As a government, decisions to embed the framework of sports professionalisation, we are mindful of the disparities between community clubs and uniformed teams.”
Vries states that the responsibility to enhance competitive balance among clubs lies primarily with Netball Namibia.
“At this stage, our focus is to ensure that netball is actively played and that the Premier League remains functional and sustainable.
“We acknowledge the dominance of the uniformed forces, but we also recognise their contribution in providing opportunities and stability for netball players.
“Looking ahead, we trust that the ongoing Sport Professionalisation initiative will foster synergies and solutions to address the competitive disparities currently experienced between community clubs and uniformed teams in the development of sport.”
At the conclusion of the MTC Netball National Premier League a week ago, league sponsor MTC, announced that during the next season a cash allowance of N$500 will be given to every player every month.
Vries says that he is not yet aware whether this money will also be given to players of NCS and Nampol teams.
“The proposed N$500 allowance for players in the MTC Netball National Premier League is still under discussion among MTC, Netball Namibia, and the Sports Professionalisation Project Team,” he says.
However, MTC’s communication’s officer, Mr Erasmus Nekundi says that the N$500 allowance will be given to every player in the MTC Netball National Premier League.
“This will lead to the professionalisation of the league and increase value of the league,” Nekundi states.
In the photo: The Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) Netball Club is the most successful of all in recent years, having won all its 22 games of the last season.
