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Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
REIGNING Premier Netball League champions, Platinum Queens have been thrown into disarray after Platinum Holdings, the club’s parent company decided to disband the team.
Platinum Queens have been winning the title since the inception of the Premier Netball League three years ago, after jumping ship from the Glow Petroleum sponsored Rainbow Amateur Netball League where they were also the champions.
Their head coach Simbarashe Mlambo is also the PNL Reigning Coach of Year after defending his title in 2023 while budding goal shooter Chipo Shoko, also holds the Shooter of the Year title.
Mlambo’s team also constituted a large number of players in the junior and senior national teams.
Sadly for national netball, FC Platinum’s fellow platinum miners Ngezi Platinum Queens, who finished their 2023 PNL campaign in third place have also decided against registering for this season.
Ngezi Platinum Queens were beaten to the title by Platinum Queens and GreenFuel.
Platinum Holdings and Zimplats, who are the corporate bedrocks for the two clubs have indicated that they are having some financial challenges owing to the global fall in the price of platinum.
This has resultantly affected some of the mines’ activities with the netball teams, the latest to be heavily hit.
The two mines announced plans to downsize operations earlier this year, even offering mine workers a chance to take up voluntary retrenchment.
But for the netball players, the dissolution is no doubt a huge blow.
“We survive on netball and this has been a huge blow for us, especially considering the time that we got the message,” revealed a Platinum Queens player.
“It is difficult to get another club now, we have to wait for the next transfer window if we are to move elsewhere.”
Both sides have been training since the off season.
They however, woke up to the sad news at the start of this week.
The sad developments also come at a time when chaos is reigning supreme in netball following an exodus of teams from the Premier League.
This saw the emergence of a splinter league, Tacco Super Netball League, which was founded by former PNL executives.
“With what is happening, it becomes difficult to convince our parent clubs to soldier on or even find a sponsor because who would want to invest in such a chaotic situation,” said an executive member who refused to be named.
“Our players survive on sport and for things to end this way, it is sad so we will assist in whichever way we can to make sure that they find other clubs although it has to be a long wait until mid-season.”
Efforts to get comments from both Platinum Holdings and Zimplats yesterday were futile.
Online Reporter