11 teams to represent Tanzania in East Africa Netball Championship in Kenya

Dar es Salaam. Eleven teams will represent Tanzania in the East Africa Netball Club Championship scheduled for April in Nairobi, Kenya.

The teams are Tamisemi, who are the Union Netball champions, JKT Mbweni, Nyika Queens and Magereza Tanzania (Morogoro). Other teams are KVZ, Mafunzo, JKU and Zimamoto, all from Zanzibar.

In the men’s category are Bandari Veterans and Smart Boys from Mainland Tanzania and JKU from Zanzibar.

The teams secured tickets for the regional event after performing impressively during the Union Netball Championship held in Morogoro last year, according to Tanzania Netball Association (Chaneta) secretary general Rose Mkisi.

Besides Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania, the event is expected to feature teams from South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and the hosts, Kenya.

“Teams are now in preparations for the competition. We urge all Tanzania’s teams to be serious as the country is yet to win the event.

“All in all, we are now turning our focus to the East and Central Africa Netball Championship to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in the dates to be announced later. “But it will possibly be early next year. We need to show our prowess in the competition and win the event that is normally dominated by Ugandan and Kenyan teams,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chaneta has been impressed by the standards of the teams that featured in various competitions staged according to their last year’s annual calendars.

Mkisi said most of the players who featured in the events showcased their good talent. She said the players’ spirits and level of commitments were very high. “Chaneta is proud of the players’ standards, we have seen a number of talented young players, who can lift up our national netball team (Taifa Queens), we call on all the players and the team officials to maintain their standards,” she insisted.

According to Mkisi, Chaneta is struggling to make the game attain the international standard, but lack of sponsors hinders their efforts.

“We have managed to complete our annual calendar without any support, but thanks to teams that showed commitments to honour our calendar, it was difficult to compete due to huge expenses, but their spirit made them make it,” she said.