Funding woes put Queens’ Africa Cup preps in jeopardy
Two weeks before the Netball Africa Cup, Malawi Queens are in a dilemma on when to start their preparations due to unavailability of funding.
The continental competition is scheduled for November 28 to December 6 in Botswana.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) general secretary Isaac Chimwala yesterday said they presented a K123 million budget to the government through the Malawi National Council of Sports and they are still waiting for a response.
He said they wished the team could go straight to camp from the Fast5 World Netball Series in New Zealand as they are already running against time.
Said Chimwala: “It is our expectation that as the Queens arrive from New Zealand today [yesterday], they could go straight into camp in preparation for the continental showpiece but our hands are tied because funding is not available.
“All the same, we are keeping our fingers crossed and we are hopeful the government, through the Council, will respond before it is too late.”
Sports Council spokesperson Edgar Ntulumbwa yesterday asked for more time to respond on what the government is doing to ensure the funding is available in time for the Queens’ preparations.
Former Queens goal-attacker Jane Chimaliro, who announced her retirement from the national netball team a few weeks ago, yesterday said delayed preparations will have a negative impact on the Queens’ performance in Botswana.
“At present, we are already late for preparations because even if the funding comes today, the Queens will be in camp for at least a week instead of more than two weeks. All the same, if funding is not available, there is nothing we can do,” she said.
In spite of that, Chimaliro added that the Queens need to build more than a single squad of high-quality players to compete in various competitions to avoid exerting pressure on the few selected players.
“For example, South Africa sent a different squad to the Fast5 Series while the other group was and is still in camp ahead of the Africa Cup. This makes it easy for players to avoid fatigue,” she said.
The Queens need thorough preparations for the Netball Africa Cup because, unlike the Fast5 Series that saw the Queens losing all their six matches, the continental event is used to determine the World Netball rankings.
Currently, the Queens are ranked sixth globally but any slip-up might give seventh-ranked Uganda’s She Cranes a chance to dislodge Malawi.
