Netball Championship vital: Meyer

• By Michael Uugwanga

NATIONAL netball team coach Julene Meyer has highlighted the upcoming Africa Netball Cup (Championship) set for Botswana at the University of Botswana from November 26 to December 6 as critical for the country’s world rankings.
Meyer, who has called up 42 players for national trials, is expected to reduce her final selection to 15, with most of the players coming from Namibia Correctional Service (NCS), the 2023 MTC/Namibian Netball Premier League champions.
“The Africa Netball Cup is crucial for Namibia in terms of ranking, as the country’s international standing is not looking so good due to the country’s absence from international events due to a lack of finance,” said Meyer.
Nicknamed the Debmarine Desert Jewels’, Namibia will compete against South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania at the Africa Netball Cup.

The Debmarine Desert Jewels’ are ranked 22nd on the world ranking, barely above host Botswana in 23rd, while South Africa, the continent’s top-ranked squad, is in fifth position, while Malawi, Africa’s second-ranked team, is in sixth place, and Uganda is ranked seventh in the world.

“We had the first round of trials from September 15-17 in Windhoek, where we trimmed the squad down; the next set will be the first week of October, where we will select the final 15 players, 12 to travel to Botswana and three non-travelling reserves to train with the team in case of emergency or injury.
“This competition is important for us because it is the only international competition we have competed in this year.

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