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Nozipho Ncube / Rutendo Karuva
BLACK Panthers, the first male netball team in Bulawayo will be holding a tournament on 15 and 16 October at St Columbua��s High School.
The tournament, the first of its kind to be held in the city will see seven teams namely BDF Caps and Police Jaguars both of Botswana, Zim Plats from Ngezi, Sparrows and Rangers both from Harare, Kwekwe as well as Mutare battling it out to win prizes.
According to Maxwell Thomas Nyandoro, the tournament organiser and player, the teams will consist of players ranging from 19 to 40 years.
Nyandoro said he was positive that the team would perform very well because they had participated in tournaments outside the country and managed to bring a medal home.
a�?We went to Botswana in February this year, played very well and managed to scoop a bronze medal,a�? he said.
He said the team gets a lot of support from the Bulawayo community as they have not faced any criticism for playing netball, a sport that is popularly known as womena��s sport.
However, the challenge that the team faces is that of not getting enough funds.
a�?We once went to South Africa for a tournament but we did not perform well because some of our team members could not travel as they had no funds. This affected our performance because we had to merge with the Harare team and this affected our performance because we were not used to each othera��s skills,a�? said Nyandoro.
The team is not yet affiliated with any association at the moment but they have well wishers who are assisting from time to time, according to Nyandoro. They are also hoping to hold more tournaments in the future and promote male netball.
Zimbabwe Netball Association Bulawayo Province chairperson, Ruth Hove said their association was happy to hear that someone was keen on promoting netball.
a�?We are happy therea��s such an initiative and that therea��s a man who has taken the step to promote the sport, after all netball has always been open to males,a�? Hove said. .
Online Reporter