Jewels coach seeks govt backing for Africa Cup dream

Debmarine Desert Jewels head coach Julene Meyer has expressed hope that the government will come on board and support the senior women’s national netball team as they prepare for the Africa Netball Cup next week.To be held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 8 to 14 December, Africa’s premier competition will feature eight top nations, with the Jewels drawn alongside Uganda’s She Cranes, Zimbabwe’s Gems and Kenya’s Divas.The other pool comprises hosts Malawi Queens, defending champions South Africa’s SPAR Proteas, Botswana’s Setsoareng and Tanzania’s Taifa Queens.Before the Jewels took on their biggest international test yet at the Celtic Cup in Glasgow, Scotland, which concluded last weekend, they had hoped to proceed straight to Malawi for the Africa Netball Cup.However, reports indicated that “uncertainty clouds the team’s plans to proceed to Malawi,” citing that government funding for the trip had not yet been approved.The Zambia national netball team was reported on 26 November to have withdrawn from the Africa Netball Cup due to a lack of financial support, according to News Diggers.‘We are unsure’Reflecting on the Jewels’ 43-39 victory over Northern Ireland (NI) Warriors at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, which marked their sole win and final match of the Celtic Cup, head coach Meyer acknowledged the concerns many Namibians have shared.“We are unsure whether we will still proceed to Lilongwe for the Africa Netball Cup. I do hope the government will support the team to be able to compete at this event because these young players deserve the opportunity,” she said.Namibia hosted the tournament last year at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund, where they finished fifth out of eight participating nations, with the SPAR Proteas lifting the title.Speaking to Sport Wrap yesterday, Netball Namibia president Juanitha Witbeen confirmed that main sponsor Debmarine Namibia funded the team’s trips to two international events this year: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cup and the Celtic Cup in Scotland.“The funding from them [Debmarine] will not be sufficient for the Africa Netball Cup in Malawi. We are engaging the government to assist us with the continental event. I am yet to get feedback on it. We will get clear communication on whether the team will travel to Malawi in a day or by tomorrow,” she said.‘Severe visa challenges’Regarding the Desert Jewels’ performance at the just-ended Celtic Cup, Meyer said the team faced significant challenges, including several first-choice players being unavailable for selection, among them captain Anna Kaspar and Mwale Mulenamaswe.“We [also] had severe visa challenges with two of our players [Monica Gomases and Loide Kanyolo] only receiving their visas on Friday, and one of them not receiving a reply [Loide ‘Bokkie’ Hanyanya]. So that in itself was a big challenge,” she said.Another key player Meyer had called up, Louise “Dreamy” Kausehue, was also not released from work.“We ended up travelling with a very young and inexperienced group of players. Despite their lack of consistency and clinical execution in our attack, which all form part of their growth, they played good netball,” Meyer said.She praised the players’ quick learning curve, reflected in their upset over 12th-ranked NI Warriors, who are three spots above Namibia globally.‘A lot of positives to take [away]’Meyer also commended the team’s ability to step up and fight back in every match of the tournament, noting that they were competitive for two to three quarters per game.“We, however, had blowout quarters, like one quarter per game, which I wasn’t happy with. But it is all part of the growth process, and I think the exposure to this level of netball has been fantastic for the whole group of players we fielded,” she said.She added that it was the team’s first time competing in the United Kingdom (UK), where Rejoice Kambonge and Miryam Johannes made their international debuts against top-10 opposition.“I would have preferred they were eased into international competitions by first going up against lower-ranked teams. [Nonetheless,] I am very happy that we could get exposure and experience for these players,” she said.“There are a lot of positives to take from the tournament, as it was a big step in the right direction for the group that will form the core future of Netball Namibia.”– mariud@nsh.com.na

Jewels coach seeks govt backing for Africa Cup dream

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Jewels coach seeks govt backing for Africa Cup dream

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