By: Dwight Links
Netball is on the verge of becoming one of Namibia’s first-ever professional sporting codes, as Netball Namibia and MTC announce plans for this significant development are in the pipeline.
“Starting from next season, we will have all 12 clubs’ players receiving monthly allowances over the period of six months. Every player will receive a monthly allowance of N$500,” stated MTC’s chief brand, marketing, communications & sustainability officer, Tim Ekandjo, at the season-ending ceremony over the weekend in Windhoek.
The event also served as the prize-giving ceremony for the top four teams and the best performing administrators and players.
Ekandjo mentioned the possibility of an increment in the allowance fee as the relationship between Netball Namibia and MTC grew. With that, he appealed to team managers to explore more of the young talent pool Namibia possesses, allowing for flexibility in team selection.
“I have heard from the netball community of an unfair situation within the landscape whereby a few big clubs provide permanent employment opportunities. We do not want our players to be unemployed, but we also need to balance this in a way that it does not disadvantage the league,” Ekandjo indicated.
He added that next season, final-year marketing students would be assigned to the clubs in efforts to assist with branding and promotional activities, ensuring fair promotion of each club’s prominence in the league.
Back in June, it was announced that the three-year Netball Professionalisation Pilot Project is underway in tandem with the 2025 domestic season. The project, which was launched in 2023, aimed to support the development Namibian netball attaining full professional status.
This was spearheaded by Netball Namibia, with MEIYSAC and the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) providing strategic and technical support. The ministry allocated N$4.9 million for the 2025/26 financial year towards the project.
“This initiative will help identify the most effective business-oriented practices in sport, which can then be replicated across other targeted sport codes,” the ministry said at the time.
Dimitri Bittler, the chairperson of Khomas Region Netball, outlined that the future is bright for the sport.
“A region like Khomas had the privilege of fielding five clubs in this year’s season. This is where we salute every person that has made this league a success in this season,” Bittler said.
Jo-Ann Manuel, director of Sport at MEIYSAC, expressed approval of the proposed plans professionalising the predominantly women’s sport for next season.
“With this announcement of next season’s allowance fees, it will become a commercial entity. We do not need to start big, but we have to start somewhere,” said Manuel.
“This N$500 might not seem like much, but it could be groceries for someone else, it could be tuition fees for another. And this is the desire to professionalise sport in the country, so that people can make a living out of sport,” she explained.
Concluding her statement, she added that her ministry also purchased a modern netball court floor.
“According to modern netball requirements and the conditions under which players have to compete, one is the sprung court floor which has been purchased for netball,” she shared, noting that land for the construction of the indoor facility had been identified.
Moreover, the ministry noted that plans are underway for the sport code to debut at the 2032 Olympic Games, with the provision that the sport also promotes the men’s version of the sport.
For Namibia, the aims are more immediate with its sights set on the Commonwealth Games 2026 to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, followed by the Netball World Cup in 2027 in Sydney, Australia.
Manuel indicated that the pressure will be on the national team’s performances in the coming months as they aim to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year, with the team needing to be ranked in the top 12 countries to ensure said qualification. Currently, Namibia ranks 15th in global rankings.
Nations ahead of Namibia are Zimbabwe, Samoa and Northern Ireland.
