Netball Association of Malawi (Nam) has finally come out of the cocoon to reveal that it expects the Malawi National Netball Team to regain number one ranking on the continent by 2027.
This follows Nam’s three-year rebuilding exercise.
The Queens have embarked on the exercise with support from their sponsor Nico Group and the government, through the Malawi National Council of Sports.
Currently, the Queens are ranked third in Africa, behind continental heavyweights South Africa.
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Uganda are second.
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On the global scene, Malawi lies on position seven behind fifth-placed South Africa and six-placed Uganda.
Nam President Vitumbiko Mwandemange- Gubuduza said one of the association’s goals was rebuilding so that the Queens could crawl back to the number one position in Africa by 2027.
“This was presented and adopted at the Nam EGM [extra-ordinary general meeting] in June 2024,” she said.
The Nam boss said there were some drivers to ensure that the association achieved desired results.
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“We are grateful for the partnership we have with Nico, who are committed to supporting the Queens in this rebuilding process.
“Secondly, we want to find a partner to sponsor the Under-21 team. They are the future of the Queens and we need to strengthen this team to perform and have them elevated to the senior side,” she said.
Mwandemange-Gubuduza said Nam would focus on capacity building as they wanted the Queens to finish among the top six teams at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“We want to build the technical capacity for coaches and umpires as they are the technical foundation for the performance of the Queens and players generally.
“We have a target of getting to position six by 2026 at the Commonwealth Games and, then, position five (number 1 in Africa) in 2027 at the Netball World Cup,” she said.
Nam also said it planned to establish competitive leagues at all levels and secure sponsorship for elite teams while sourcing support for regional and district leagues to make them competitive.
Mwandemange-Gubuduza said they also needed to hire a permanent coach to continue with the rebuilding exercise by scouting players in all districts.
Meanwhile, the Nam President has said they expect the Queens to perform well after two previous disappointing outings.
“These are ranking games. Our going there [UK] is to perform well and gain points to improve our ranking. We are definitely looking forward to an improved Performance of the Queens at the Quad Series.
“We did not finish well in the previous Africa Netball Cup and we had a three-week camp to give the coaches an opportunity to resolve the issues that were noted. It is my belief that improvements have been made and will continue to be made after the Quad Series as well, as we proceed with plans on the road to 2027,” she said, adding that the series would help them to expose new talent.
Meanwhile, netball pundit Neffie Kam’mata has said the plans require support from all stakeholders.
“I think these are realistic targets because you need short and long-term goals. At the same time, I hope the Queens will take the Quad Series seriously. The players need to mark and play an active passing game to avoid turnovers. The shooters should also be in shape,” she said.
The Queens are expected to leave for the UK today.
Joint coaches Mary Waya and Peace Chawinga-Kaluwa named a 12-member squad on Saturday.
Blue Eagles Sisters goal-attack Ruth Kaliyenda is the new addition to the squad for Vitality Netball Nations Cup 2025 slated for the UK.
Youthful goal-defender Thoko Makunganya is also in the squad, which includes seasoned players Towera Vinkhumbo- Nyirenda, Takondwa Lwazi-Chiwaya, Martha Dambo, Grace Mwafulirwa-Mhango and Thandie Galeta.
Other new faces in the squad include Tendai Masamba, Shabelo Bengo, Florence Gamuka and Ethel Ng’ambi.
Leeds Rhinos shooter Joyce Mvula will complete the squad.
