Second team pulls out of Rainbow Netball Amateur League

Mandla Ncube, Sports Reporter

IN a season which has seen its lead up characterised by excitement as well as hype since the announcement of the lucrative $11 million sponsorship deal by Glow Petroleum, the Rainbow Netball Amateur League however, this week had its exhilaration cut short at the eleventh hour.

Lusumbami Queens Netball Club have become the second team after PPU to withdraw their membership from the league citing financial constraints associated with running the franchise.

“Lusumbami Queens Netball Club is in the Rainbow Netball National League and based in Hwange. The club has been struggling to fulfil its fixtures as well as taking care of its players’ welfare due to lack of sponsorship. The executive has decided to sell the franchise to any other team willing to play in the Rainbow Amateur Netball league from 2020 season,” read a letter addressed to RANL secretary general and fixtures secretary.

With the team having flirted with relegation for the past two seasons, Lusumbami chairperson and Thembinkosi Muremba said funding the team has increasingly become a big burden and after a careful evaluation of their financial status and capacity — dropping out of the league was the only viable option. 

“We have decided to say we can’t keep on struggling, financing the team right straight from our pockets and this year we have tried to engage some people whom we thought may assist but we have failed and as a result we can’t pretend, things are getting worse by the day and we reached a decision to say why can’t we sell this franchise to someone with a better financial support,” Murimba said.

RANL, secretary general, Moses Gukurume, said the withdrawal of Lusumbami was an unfortunate development and a huge loss to the league and the people of Hwange.

“This is really a sad development considering that Lusumbami was our flagship in Matabeleland North, it’s sad and we don’t have anything at the moment as a league to assist them,” said Gukurume.

Despite Lusumbami and PPU dropping out of the league, Gukurume insists that the league’s programme will not be derailed. 

“With regards to our fixtures it’s not really a big issue because it’s actually only two games that are not going to be played but  we are looking forward to having all things being in place because by then a decision would have been made,” Gukurume said. 

However, with Lusumbami being the latest to drop out, RANL are contemplating a number of options on the table, chief among them being extending an olive branch to Golden Valley who were relegated last season.