Kwangwa relives Surrey storm

Veronica Gwaze

DESPITE having made a dream move to United Kingdom top league side Surrey Storm, Zimbabwe senior netball team captain Felistus Kwangwa has revealed she was under massive pressure for eight months.

Kwangwa, who attained legendary status after leading the Gems on a fairytale run at the Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England, said she had to prove her worth to the team.

This kept her on her toes.

Her day would start early and end late as she put extra hours to make a mark at the club.

“I had to use the short time to do as much as I could because I was on a one-year contract, hence I had to make the best of it, so I worked hard to absorb the pressure too,” she said.

The “Minister of Defence”, as she is affectionately known for her exploits on the court, joined Surrey Storm in November last year.

The club, however, did not enjoy a smooth run in the season, which ran from November to June this year.

Kwangwa returned home in July.

“It felt great playing at such a high level, but it came with a lot of pressure because I had to prove that I was worth being part of that team.

“In the UK, each team has two slots of import players. The big task was to prove myself and to show what was so special about me that some of those big players did not have.

“I had to justify my presence considering how far I had come,” she said.

Although it was not all plain sailing, she had a few performances from which she drew some positives.

Even after a series of defeats, she recalls the team would support each other as they started rebuilding for the next season.

“I was glad that what we were working on started to pay off in the last four or five games. “However, it was already late to bounce back in the competition but we already had our eyes beyond the season.”

Kwangwa believes the lessons she picked will work in favour of the Gems as they seek to rise from the ashes of their Liverpool sojourn in 2019.

One of the major differences she noted was that the UK game was fast-paced compared to African leagues.

“We have different styles of play, meaning that I had to totally adjust to fit in well, and that is one of the things which could help us even in the Gems.

“Our facilities are different, player welfare is well catered for, a team has its dietician, physical trainer, access to a well-equipped gym, thus strength and conditioning of the team is crucial.

“As Zimbabwe, these are some of the aspects we need to consider focusing on as well.” She said Government and the corporate sector need to consider investing in netball.

“We have the ideas and the administrative team which is capable but we cannot attain high goals if we lack strong financial support.”