Sport Without a Development Roadmap – Re-engineering the Landscape for a Sustainable Sporting Future for Namibia

Our decline in international sporting success in recent years should serve as a powerful catalyst for national introspection. It is not merely a matter of not qualifying for major international events, fewer medals or poorer rankings; it is a signal that something deeper within the Namibian sporting ecosystem is misaligned.

Such a moment demands an honest, evidence-based national debate on where things went wrong – whether in grassroots development, talent identification, coaching capacity, governance, resource allocation, or long-term strategic planning.

Decline is not a verdict of failure, but an invitation to re-assess priorities, confront structural deficiencies, and rebuild a system that genuinely supports athletes from the ground up. Only through collective reflection and reform can we as a nation position ourselves to return stronger on the global sporting stage.

Critiquing our current sport system is an essential part of strengthening national development. However, such critique only becomes meaningful and legitimate when it is grounded in the collective interest of the country rather than personal preferences, power struggles, or individual disagreements.

In developing nations especially, where sport plays a critical role in youth development, social cohesion, health promotion, and national identity, criticism must be constructive, evidence-based, and solution-oriented.

In Namibia, the face of organized sport – particularly at youth level – has become increasingly shaped by private schools and the financial support of parents.

Though these environments often provide quality coaching, advanced facilities, and access to national and international competitions, and may have boosted certain sport federations’ performance in the short term, this model poses a serious threat to the long-term sustainability and inclusivity of our nation’s sport development plan.

But wait, do we have a national sport development plan, if so, who were the architects thereof and who are the drivers?

A system heavily reliant on private schools and parental support may appear vibrant, but beneath the surface, it entrenches inequality, narrows our talent pool, and undermines the core objectives of any national sport development and social transformation plan.

By neglecting government schools sport – where most children are found – this approach risks creating an elitist, exclusionary, and unsustainable sport system that fails to reflect the diversity and potential of Namibia as a nation. Currently, in Namibia there is not a single sport code that have developed a true sustainable sport system.

Government schools should always be the foundation of any sustainable sports ecosystem. They represent diversity in geography, background and ability – key ingredients for an inclusive sport culture.

Investing in these schools ensures:

• Mass Participation: Broader access increases the base of the sports pyramid, from which elite athletes can emerge naturally.

• Talent Discovery: Community-based competitions and school leagues enable identifying potential early.

• Social Transformation: Sport in public schools promotes discipline, teamwork, health, and national cohesion – values that extend beyond the playing field.

• Sustainability: When sport thrives in government schools, it becomes embedded in communities, ensuring continuity and growth even beyond formal education.



Avoid narrowing the pipeline

To avoid an elitist sporting culture, national sport authorities and our education ministry must re-calibrate the development approach. Key actions should include:

• Equitable Resource Allocation: Direct investment into sports facilities, equipment, and coaching programs in government schools.

• School-Community Partnerships: Encourage collaborations between public and private schools, local clubs, and local authorities to build inclusive pathways.

• Integrated Competition Structures: Ensure that interschool tournaments include both private and government schools, breaking the segregation barrier.

• Capacity Building: Re-educate and train physical education teachers and community coaches (an opportunity to invest in our unemployed youth) in public schools to deliver quality sport programs.

• Monitoring and Accountability: Implement transparent systems to measure participation, development outcomes, and equity in access.

A balanced model ensures that private schools contribute to the broader system without monopolizing opportunities or defining our sporting future.



Strategic spending

Over the years I have debated that money is not our problem in sport. Let’s be clear, over the years, as a nation we have poured substantial sums of money into sport – often in the form of short-term funding for events, or elite athletes – without a clear development roadmap. While these investments may have yielded fleeting moments of glory or public excitement, they rarely produced lasting results.

True sporting excellence and sustainability demand more than financial injections; they require a strategic, developmental, and inclusive approach that re-engineers the entire sporting ecosystem from grassroots up.

Simply throwing money at sport without a structured plan often results in wastage, inefficiency, and inequality. Without a clear strategy, funds tend to be absorbed by:

• Elite-level programs that benefit a few, leaving grassroots systems underdeveloped.

• Infrastructure projects that lack maintenance or community integration.

• Administrative overheads, events, and short-lived campaigns that fade with the funding cycle.

This approach creates a fragile sporting environment, dependent on continuous financial support rather than self-sustaining systems. The result is sporadic success instead of consistent performance, with minimal impact on youth development, talent identification, or social transformation.

Sport is undergoing a strategic shift and in Namibia we are witnessing this in many sports codes. Instead of being viewed primarily as a public good that promotes health, social cohesion, national identity, and youth development, it is increasingly treated as a business venture driven by revenue, sponsorships, elite performance, and commercial returns.

While professionalisation is important for growth, an excessive pivot toward a business-first model carries significant risks – particularly for countries like Namibia where we are still struggling to build a foundational sport system.

My argument is that without a deliberate balance between commercial interests and grassroots development, a developing nation like us may create a fragile, exclusive, and unsustainable sport ecosystem. A business-centric approach focuses on quick wins, elite athletes, profitable sporting codes, and marketable competitions.

National development, however, requires long-term investment in community sports, school sport, capacity building, access, and participation. We run the risk of commercial priorities overshadowing our constitutional mandates of inclusivity, mass participation, and equitable access.

Commercial sport environments naturally favour those who can pay for participation, coaching, equipment, travel, and private training.

In a developing nation like us with high income inequality, this approach has marginalised the majority of talented youth who cannot afford these costs.



Building community

A sustainable sport system must be guided by a long-term development roadmap – a strategic framework that aligns financial investment with measurable outcomes at all levels of participation. Such a roadmap should include:

• Grassroots Development: Early talent identification, community clubs, school sports programs, and inclusive participation for both genders and people with disabilities.

• Capacity Building: Investment in coaching education, sports science, administration, and officiating to create a professional support system.

• Infrastructure Planning: Building and maintaining facilities based on community needs, accessibility, and long-term viability rather than prestige projects.

• Performance Pathways: Structured progression routes for athletes from local to elite levels.

• Governance and Accountability: Transparent management of funds, monitoring, and evaluation of impact.

Without these pillars, financial input becomes a short-term expenditure rather than a long-term investment.

Re-engineering sport requires rethinking the entire system – its governance, policies, priorities, and partnerships. This transformation should be driven by:

• Redefining roles and responsibilities: Unifying agencies such as the Namibia Sports Commission and the Namibia National Olympic Committee. Restructuring the Namibia School Sports Union etc.

• Integrated Policy Frameworks: Collaboration between education, health, youth, and economic sectors to ensure that sport contributes to national development goals and receive its fair share of resources.

• Public–Private Partnerships: Leveraging corporate social investment and community engagement to complement state funding.

• Data and Research: Evidence-based planning using data on participation rates, performance outcomes, and socio-economic impact.

• Innovation and Technology: Modern training, performance analytics, and digital engagement to reach wider audiences and improve efficiency.

A re-engineered system promotes sustainability, inclusivity, and competitiveness, ensuring that sport is not just an activity, but a national asset.



A shift in focus

In conclusion, money alone cannot build champions or sustainable systems. Nations that dominate in sport – such as those with consistent Olympic or regional success – do so because they have invested in structured development pathways, governance reforms, and holistic systems.

Throwing money at sport without a roadmap is akin to building a house without a foundation – it may stand for a while, but it will eventually collapse.

To secure the future of sport, decision-makers must shift focus from spending to strategic investment, from events to ecosystems, and from immediate results to long-term development. Only then can we re-engineer the landscape of sport in Namibia into a system that nurtures talent, inspires communities, and sustains itself for generations to come.

Relying on private schools as the primary vehicle for grassroots sport development is a short-sighted and inequitable strategy. It may yield polished facilities and well-groomed athletes in the short term, but it alienates the majority of the population, narrows the talent pool, and perpetuates inequality.

For sport to truly serve its purpose as a tool for unity, empowerment, and national pride, the playing field must be levelled. This means re-centering government schools as the heartbeat of grassroots sport, supported by inclusive policies and equitable investment. Only then can a nation build a sporting system that is representative, sustainable, and reflective of its people’s true potential.

Sustainability lies in systemic inclusivity – where every child, regardless of background, has access to structured, quality sport opportunities.

Only through equitable investment in public institutions, community sport, and coordinated national programs can countries create a robust, self-sustaining sport system that reflects their social realities and national aspirations.

Commercialisation is not inherently negative. It brings sponsorship, visibility, and professional opportunities. But when sport in developing nations pivots too heavily toward a business model, the foundational pillars of participation, equity, and sustainable development are compromised.

Business-driven sport models prioritise profit and return on investment. But grassroots development prioritises people, opportunities, and community well-being. This results in a system that looks successful from the outside but is hollow at its core or base.

A strong national sport system must be designed from the bottom up, not the top down. Business can complement development – but it cannot replace the foundational role of inclusive, community-rooted sport programs.

– Dr Zealand is the Director of Student Services at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and a former CEO of Cricket Namibia.