adminLovemore Zigara Midlands Sports Correspondent
A TOTAL of 26 teams are expected to converge on Stodart Hall in Harare today for the Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) pre-season tournament.
The event will be a curtain-raiser to the year’s Super League which starts on March 7.
However, due to the financial challenges bedevilling some of the clubs, some teams such as Matabeleland North representatives, Hwange’s participation is in doubt.
Last season’s top four teams Nehanda Nyakasikana, army outfit ZDF Queens, Glow Petroleum for Kwekwe and Zimpost will be seeded while other teams will be drawn from the hat to form four groups which will compete in the round robin format with the top two proceeding to the quarter-finals.
Zina president, Leticia Chipandu said the tournament will be used to gauge the preparedness of the newly promoted teams ahead of the Super League season.
“Everything is now in place for our pre-season tournament. We are just waiting for the tournament to start tomorrow so that we can give the newly promoted teams a feel of what competition in the Super League feels like.
“The established teams will also be gauging their preparedness ahead of the new season as well as finalising their preparations. We are expecting a big event although there have been serious doubts about the participation of some of our teams like Hwange due to financial challenges. It will be a big blow if they do not turn up because there are one of the seasoned teams in the league,” she said.
Police outfit Morris Depot, Zimplats as well as the Chinhoyi University of Technology and Green Buffaloes earned promotional slots in the Super League after making it in the top four of the promotional play-offs held early this month.
Meanwhile, Chipandu has confirmed that the league will invite two teams in the league from the Southern Region to expand the league from 22 to 24 teams.
This, she said, is meant to have more representation in the league by clubs from the Southern region.
Online Reporter