UK club hires Mary Waya
Going by the adage ‘when one door closes, another opens,’ Malawi Queens’ legend Mary Waya has secured a year-long deal as shooters coach for English netball side Hertfordshire Mavericks.
Mavericks director of netball and head coach Kathyryn Ratnapala has confirmed the news through the club’s website www.mavericksnetball.co.uk.
Ratnapala statement posted on Monday reads in part: “I am delighted to be joined by Camilla Buchanan and Mary Waya this season in our coaching team…Waya joined us for Fast5 Netball Series back in October 2017 and again is welcomed as part of the Mavericks coaching team.”
“She brings a huge amount of international experience, creativity and flair to the game. Working with the Malawi Queens as a player and a coach, she has been a delight to work with. I am looking forward to developing this partnership and her sharing of thoughts and ideas with our shooting area in particular.”
Waya could not be reached yesterday but her sister and former national team player Emmie Tchongwe wrote on her Facebook wall yesterday that she is happy that another door has opened for Waya.
“I would like to congratulate my sister for clinching a deal with Mavericks as shooter coach. Mary has made the Waya family proud. On behalf of the family, I thank officials of Mavericks for making this possible. Mary, you have always been humble. Please, continue from where you left. One door closes, the other is wide open,” she stated.
Waya has secured the Mavericks’ deal a few weeks after being replaced by Griffin Saenda as Queens’ head coach. This came after the national team suffered 10-straight losses under her leadership.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Khungekile Matiya refused to comment on the development yesterday.
Netball analyst Wesley Namasala has described Waya’s appointment as a good development to Malawi netball.
“We need a pool of people that can competently manage our netball. Learning is a process that does not stop. The fact somebody did not do well as a national team does not mean she is a complete failure because there might be some other underlining factors that caused such a breakdown,” he said.