Men’s netball league will boost players' game time
Netball
Khomas Netball League is set to introduce its first-ever men’s division this weekend at Olympia’s Trustco United courts in Olympia.
The initiative aims to provide athletes with more game time following the country’s historic but challenging debut at the Netball Africa Cup.
The inaugural round, featuring four teams – two each from Afrocat Sports Club and Go Monate Sella – will commence at 18:00. The league will run until October.
Each team is set to play a double round-robin format, facing the same opponent twice at home and twice away, to ensure ample game time.
Khomas Netball chairperson Dimitri Bittler highlighted that this is the country’s first structured men’s netball league after previous attempts failed to take off.
“Now that we have fully established the national team, our goal is to create consistency and ensure that men’s netball teams have regular competition throughout the year,” he said.
Reflecting on last year’s Netball Africa Cup in Swakopmund, where Namibia made history by introducing its first men’s team, Bittler acknowledged that a major challenge was the players’ lack of experience due to limited game time.
“We want to address that by giving them more opportunities to compete. The first round will serve as an assessment to gauge interest and determine how many more teams we can bring on board.
“By the end of May, we hope to see increased participation, regardless of the teams’ form. By next year, we’re hoping to have at least eight teams in the league,” he explained.
Tackling the stigma
Bitler added that the league is still accepting team entries and encouraged interested players to sign up.
However, he admitted that the stigma surrounding men playing netball remains a big challenge.
“We need to start breaking down these outdated perceptions, because it discourages potentially talented individuals and teams from joining. The growth of men’s netball depends on shifting this mindset,” he emphasised.
– [email protected]
The initiative aims to provide athletes with more game time following the country’s historic but challenging debut at the Netball Africa Cup.
The inaugural round, featuring four teams – two each from Afrocat Sports Club and Go Monate Sella – will commence at 18:00. The league will run until October.
Each team is set to play a double round-robin format, facing the same opponent twice at home and twice away, to ensure ample game time.
Khomas Netball chairperson Dimitri Bittler highlighted that this is the country’s first structured men’s netball league after previous attempts failed to take off.
“Now that we have fully established the national team, our goal is to create consistency and ensure that men’s netball teams have regular competition throughout the year,” he said.
Reflecting on last year’s Netball Africa Cup in Swakopmund, where Namibia made history by introducing its first men’s team, Bittler acknowledged that a major challenge was the players’ lack of experience due to limited game time.
“We want to address that by giving them more opportunities to compete. The first round will serve as an assessment to gauge interest and determine how many more teams we can bring on board.
“By the end of May, we hope to see increased participation, regardless of the teams’ form. By next year, we’re hoping to have at least eight teams in the league,” he explained.
Tackling the stigma
Bitler added that the league is still accepting team entries and encouraged interested players to sign up.
However, he admitted that the stigma surrounding men playing netball remains a big challenge.
“We need to start breaking down these outdated perceptions, because it discourages potentially talented individuals and teams from joining. The growth of men’s netball depends on shifting this mindset,” he emphasised.
– [email protected]
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