Online Reporter
Media Mpofu,Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zambezi Eagles are gearing up to participate in South Africa’s prestigious Telkom Netball League, the biggest franchise competition on the continent, for the second time.
The tournament kicks off on June 13 in the North West Province.
After their impressive debut last season, the Eagles are determined to take their performance to new heights.
John Banda, the technical director for Zambezi Eagles, said that they are going there with the same objectives but with a different approach as a way of strengthening and improving their performance.
“We have the right combinations now but South African teams now know our play, hence we need to change our approach in all departments in terms of tactics and game strategies,” said Banda.
He added that they identified their weaknesses in their last games and they are working on rectifying and improving in this upcoming league.
This landmark participation is part of the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA)’s strategy for the preparations for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers for Australia.
The initiative aims to expose players to intense competition and serves as a means to identify players who will play in Australia.
“We are using this stage to prepare and select players who can be included into the Gems team to take part in the Africa Qualifiers,” he said.
Banda said that the team will camp from May 30 to June 11 with increased training as they are looking forward to facing tough competition, and that is exactly what they need.
“We are facing three of the South African top-tier teams and for our players that is good practice, we definitely need that high level of competition,” said Banda.
