About ten netball players from Eastern Province have received call-ups to play for the Netball National Team after their notable performances in the local league.
And the Provincial Netball Association Secretary Joel Kashi says the Eastern Province is currently in the top three in terms of netball in the country.
ZANIS sports reports that after an outstanding performance at the netball festival that took place in Lusaka recently, the netballers that have joined the National Under 18 Netball team are Susan Mseteka (Eastern Jaguars), Tendai Zulu (Eastern Jaguars), Victoria Banda (Prisons Leopards), Victoria Phiri (Chiparamba Girls) Hellen Mwanza (Katete Council) and Hellen Mofya (Eastern Jaguars).
And the remaining four male players selected to join the senior men’s national netball team are Jacob Phiri (Eastern Jaguars) and Gogo Sangu from Eastern Jaguars while Elvis Zulu and Emmanuel Meachambo play for Gondar Boys Netball Club, respectively.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS sports today, Kashi said netball is growing in the province at a faster rate as the association is moving in all districts to identify players.
“We are moving in districts around the province to identify players and make more teams. Eastern Province currently is in the top three in the country in terms of netball,” he said.
The regional Netball Association Secretary appealed to various stakeholders to partner with the Association in order to sponsor some clubs in the province.
“We are still requesting stakeholders to come on board and sponsor some clubs, like what Zambia Correctional Service in Chipata has done by sponsoring formerly Chicago Netball Club now called Prisons Leopards,” he said.
“ This week the Association will head to Chadiza where we want to host games and set up a new netball executive.
“The league in Chipata will kick off soon and we wait to see teams that will dethrone the current league champions Eastern Jaguars,” he said.
Kashi said Chipata has a total number of 10 clubs in the league, five in the female category and five in the male category respectively.
The selection of netball players for the female and male categories from the Eastern Province shows how the province is rising above all odds to take the sport to another level.
“We are also trying to identify coaches and umpires that are being equipped with skills to impart to the players throughout the province.
“An appeal is for stakeholders to come on board and sponsor teams in order to help the players grow in this sport which can even get them employed. The other appeal is for stakeholders to help in netball infrastructure facilities, which are a challenge in the province,” he said.