North netball lands K5 million GN sponsorship
By Bernard Mhone:
Northern Region Netball Committee (NRNC) has secured K5 million one-year sponsorship from GN Aluminum and Engineering Limited.
The cup was launched at St John of God Hall in Mzuzu on Saturday as the league ended a six-year dry spell.
The committee’s chairperson Chancy Munthali hailed GN for supporting netball saying the sport was on a deathbed due to lack of sponsorship.
“We were just relying on Presidential Initiative on Sports Cup, which was not enough. How can we deliver without a cup? It is an undisputable fact that the region has talent, having contributed a lot of players to the Malawi National Netball Team, but we are no longer producing more players,” she said.
GN Aluminum and Engineering Limited Business Development Officer Veronica Chirwa said they wanted to help develop netball structures from the grassroots.
“This is a programme that we are rolling out in all regions. We will sponsor a league in Central Region, then a bonanza in the Eastern Region, and we will finish with a league in Southern Region because we, as an indigenous company, rally behind the Queens,” she said.
Netball Association of Malawi President Khungekile Matiya urged the committee to be prudent and professional.
“The region has been without a sponsor for six years and the onus is on them to maintain the sponsorship,” she said.
Meanwhile, the committee will run the cup on league format starting at zonal level before proceeding to district and regional levels.
Top three teams will be honoured at district level while the top four will honoured at the regional level.
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