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NETBALL TEAM FOCUSES ON WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

23/10/2019 01:37:00 BY PHOLSILE HLOPHE

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MBABANE – All is not lost. Eswatini’s national netball team missed out on the Africa Netball Championships that were played since Friday until yesterday at the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town, South Africa, with Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, the hosts and Malawi all participating.

The kingdom of Eswatini missed the competition due to the shortage of funds. According to head coach Nhlanhla ‘Friction’ Mayisela, the team needed about E200 000 to cater for the entire trip’s expenses but unfortunately failed to raise the required amount.

Mayisela expressed his disappointment after missing what he described as a great opportunity for Eswatini prior to the 2023 World Cup but hoped to qualify for it given that they get enough preparatory games in regional tournaments to bring them up to speed.

The tournament will be held on dates to be confirmed at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. “We missed out a great deal from the Africa Netball Championships.

“The other teams are now ahead of us in terms of experience and we will need to work extra hard in order to catch up. We have been dealt a huge blow and the players will no longer trust us in future. They worked hard in preparations for the championships but all the hard work went to waste. Our next focus is the World Cup qualifiers,” said Mayisela.

funds

He further appealed to the Eswatini National Netball Association and the Eswatini Sport and Recreational Council (ESRC) to collaborate in raising funds for international competitions in order to avoid similar upsets.

Mayisela further highlighted that for the past three years they could not be part of the Africa Championships because of monetory issues but was hopeful that they would participate next year. He also mentioned that they would maintain the current squad that is dominated by young players.