Waya is face of GOtv Netball League

MultiChoice Malawi has appointed Malawi’s revered netball legend, Mary Waya, as the face of 2014 GOtv Netball Champions League.

According to MultiChoice Malawi marketing manager Chimwemwe Nyirenda, as face of the GOtv Netball tournament, Waya’s role would be to publicise the event through various media outlets to reach out to as many people as possible.

“She is featuring in video, radio and print adverts for the 2014 GOtv Netball Champions League.   The advert will be running on local television stations throughout the tournament

“Mary Waya is the icon of netball in Malawi because her name has become synonymous with the sport,” reads part of the statement signed by Nyirenda.

Waya said she was excited at the recognition.

“I am humbled by GOtv’s recognition. This shows that they appreciate the role I have played in the development of the game and I do not take it for granted.

“I am happy to inspire girls to be successful in their lives,” she said.

Waya boasts a career spanning 31 years during which she has won several silverwares.

She started playing netball when she was just 11 years old. She drew inspiration from her brothers, who had already established themselves as household names in football circles, especially Lawrence ‘Lule’ Waya and the late Harry who are considered among the finest footballers to grace on the local scene.

Now a national netball team coach, it is a fitting footnote to a successful career that elevated Malawi netball from nothing to the top five of the world netball rankings and number one in Africa.

Recently, she became the first African woman to be awarded a certificate as a netball trainer of trainers after three years of study that took her to a number of countries before conclusion in Ethiopia.