Local netball sorely needs a gigantic boost

Having said that, though, it is a saddening fact that our national women’s netball team, Taifa Queens, has regrettably missed out on international competitions for a lengthy spell.

But our failure to feature on the international netball stage is unfortunately not the only sobering problem that has been bedeviling local netball.

Indeed, the sport has been negatively affected by a chronic lack of funds which has prevented the sport’s governing body, CHANETA, from frequently staging netball championships on the local sports scene.

What makes this deeply disappointing status quo in local netball particularly galling is the fact that the Netball World Cup recently got underway in South Africa and we will only be able to watch the proceedings from the sidelines.

Bearing in mind all of the aforesaid points, it is crystal clear that measures have to be hastily taken to breathe new life into local netball.

Towards that end, it is a plus that authorities in the present day have clearly shown an encouraging willingness to afford critical support to local sports.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it will be the officials in the upper echelons of CHANETA who will have to do the heavy lifting to solve all of the challenges confronting the sport.

Speaking of challenges facing a sport, many European football clubs are presently trying to regain their razor-sharpness, following a period of rest in the wake of last season.

Unquestionably, one of the major talking points of last season was the huge involvement of some African football personages in the overall success of their respective football clubs.

Indeed, one African big gun who played a key role in the glorious success of his Italian side Napoli last season was the deadly Nigerian attacker Victor Osimhen, who was impressively prolific in the last campaign.

Osimhen, who has an eagle eye for goal, is a lethal predator in the penalty box and he rarely squanders goal-scoring chances as was demonstrated so vividly last season.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it is a fact that Osimhen’s teeming masses of supporters will be keenly hoping that the Nigerian goal poacher can pick up from where he left off last season.

Another glittering African star who will be out to claim top honors in the new season is the Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, who sadly failed to lift any pieces of silverware in the last campaign.

Blessed with a magical left foot, Salah is equally adept at beautifully creating chances for his teammates and at netting and cracking goals himself.

It is expected though that the Egyptian will be eagerly seeking to be at his irresistible best in the upcoming season to steer the Reds (Liverpool’s nickname) towards achieving trophy-winning success.

Meanwhile, the diminutive Senegalese attacker Sadio Mane will likely resolutely attempt to remind everyone of his undoubted class in the new campaign after seeing his involvement in the last season get bitterly cut short, thanks to injury.

It is hoped then that Mane can rapidly regain his trademark oomph, which will be badly needed if his club Bayern Munich is to mount ultimately successful campaigns to secure titles in the new season.