adminVeronica Gwaze, Sports Reporter
IT’S partially a sunny weekend at the iconic Stodart Netball Complex in Mbare and there is a hive of activity as Premier Netball League teams take to action.
Teams sing and dance just before taking to their different “temporary” camping spots for lunchtime break. They make merry as they eat and drink, all thanks to their sponsors.
Yet there is a particular team, largely made up of young girls, dressed in a “discorded” manner and have virtually nothing to enjoy for lunch. As their name suggests, Stormers Netball Club, the youthful side burst on to the top-flight league last season, running with nothing to their name except passion.
They became one of the Nedbank-sponsored kit beneficiaries, but unlike the other clubs, they could not go on to purchase tracksuits, training kits and other necessities for themselves.
To them, netball means more than just a game as it gives them everything except monetary gains.
Currently the team sits on position four in the 16-team log table with 22 points out of a possible 28 while ZDF Queens are at the top with 30. On match days, while other teams camp, Stormers’ players have to find their way to the match venue.
Founder, Ruth Masimba, has to dig into her pockets for match officials’ fees and also assist other players with bus fare.
A peep into Masimba’s life tells a story of a lady who for four years has given her time, resources and home to change the lives of more than 50 aspiring netballers.
She set up her club during the Coronavirus-induced lockdown as she could not bear to watch young girls around her wallow in poverty, prostitution, teen pregnancies and early marriages.
As cases of prostitution increased, the 48-year-old felt the urge to rescue these girls, forming a netball club that would attract talent from Budiriro, Glen View, Mufakose and Highfield. The full-time housewife sold “freezits” at some point to fund her project and ensure that these young girls had some financial drive.
“It is not easy, the girls know no salary so they just play out of passion and I have to keep pushing because it is the only way to keep them off societal ills and vices,” said Masimba.
“I watched during lockdown as young boys and girls got wasted into drug and substance abuse and being a mother, I could not just sit back and watch.
“Out of heartbreak, I had to act so I decided to assemble a netball team so we would train on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at a local hall. When schools then reopened after lockdown, we started training only during weekends to accommodate some of our players who were still in school.
“Some came from quite a distance and could not afford transport money to attend training, and this compelled me to start selling ‘freezits’ as a way to assist them.”
Masimba’s husband, Alex, who is the Zimbabwe Netball Association’s organising secretary, sometimes chips in with financial assistance, while her son, Alex Junior, a qualified coach, mentored the team.
The team got admitted into Division One where they dominated for two years before gaining promotion into top-flight.
In fact, in the first year that they won the Division One title, they declined promotion for reasons that they did not have sponsorship.
“It was not easy joining Division One, we needed more money and to think of top-flight, we felt it was a huge task for us but eventually we had to,” Masimba said.
“Our supporter (Mr Banda) often rescues us when we travel for out-of-town fixtures.
“Every season, I have to scout new players because financially stable clubs keep raiding us and I cannot ground players because they need to survive.”
Masimba has to look after some of the young female players under her own roof, feeding them off her savings.
“We are desperately trying to lure sponsorship; it is frustrating to see the young girls struggle as we fail even to provide them with proper lunch on match days,” she said.
“At times we have to bring home-cooked meals and you can tell the girls are hurting deep down.”
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