Cuca Tops Netball Club from Rundu and Extreme Netball Club from Ongwediva have earned their spots in the country’s premier netball league, the MTC Namibian Netball Premier League (NNPL). 
They secured their positions after finishing third and fourth, respectively, at the recent playoffs in Windhoek.
Both Cuca Tops and Extreme will be making their debuts in the MTC NNPL, which is scheduled to begin later this year, though Netball Namibia has yet to announce official start dates. Rundu will once again have a team in the top league, filling the void left by Rundu Chiefs’ relegation two seasons ago. This also brings the Kavango East Region’s representation to two teams, joining Eastern Chiefs from Divundu.This growth in Kavango-East netball is a welcome development, especially for the Erongo Region, which now has only one team, Namibian Navy Netball Club, representing the coast. Coastal powerhouses like Eleven Arrows and Blue Waters, former MTC NNPL participants, appear to be struggling to return to the top tier. Blue Girls recently won the Erongo Netball League.
Extreme’s qualification marks the first time a team from Ongwediva in the Oshana Region will compete in the MTC NNPL. Cuca Tops Netball Club joins its male football counterpart, Cuca Tops FC, in representing the club in the nation’s top leagues.
To secure their NNPL berths, Cuca Tops defeated Blue Girls from Swakopmund 44-39 and Afro Queens 40-33, despite a 44-31 loss to UNAM Jaquars. Extreme triumphed over Harambee Netball Club 47-23 and Bush Bucks from the Zambezi Region 55-27, even with a 51-36 defeat to Afrocat Lions.
UNAM Jaquars and Afrocat Lions successfully retained their premiership status through the playoffs, having finished in the bottom four last season, which qualified them for the playoff round.