Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Netball Association have come up with a grand masterplan in order to suit World Netball’s decision to reduce the World Cup cycle from four to two years.
This comes after a recent announcement by the global netball body that after the 2027 Netball World Cup, the tournament will now be held every two years.
Resultantly, ZINA have had to adjust their own cycle and the association have crafted a plan to ensure a reliable and consistent feeder into the national team.
ZINA, largely focusing on development, have scheduled trials meant to draw players from across the country’s provinces to take a crack at possible Gems selection.
The trials will be held on August 9 and 10 at Girls High School in Harare with at least 30 successful players expected to go into camp a week later.
Premier Netball League and the Rainbow Netball League have also been engaged to submit names of their top prospects for national team consideration.
This move has been met with widespread applause for the mother-body in openly demonstrating a willingness to engage both leagues on an equitable and level platform.
While ZINA has previously drawn national team players from the RANL, historical criticism has often pointed to a bias in selection criteria, favouring PNL.
The new approach, therefore, marks a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and transparent talent identification process.
“The response from different provinces has been impressive and we are happy that everything is moving according to plan,” said ZINA technical director John Banda.
“This approach was meant to allow for everyone to get a chance, regardless of geographical location.
“We also engaged the leagues to have them give us the players . . . we gave them a list of requirements of what we expect in a player to ensure that we are on the same page.”
Schools from across the country and a number of players based in South Africa have also reached out to ZINA, expressing interest in taking part in the trials.
Based on ZINA’s plan, this team, together with the already existing national select outfit — Zambezi Eagles — will become the two main feeder channels into the Gems.
This means that a player will have to graduate from the development side into the Zambezi Eagles and ultimately into the Gems fold.
The two teams will occasionally camp, with ZINA hoping to give them enough exposure before making it to the main national team.
With this system in place, those who eventually fail to make the cut in the Gems team will be considered for other roles like coaching, management and administration.
“The World Cup now comes after two years which means that we no longer have time to relax or take a breather before rebuilding.
“Now ZINA will be busy throughout the year because these teams will need regular camps and exposure,” Banda said. In May, Zambezi Eagles took part in South Africa’s Telkom Netball League, a platform which allowed ZINA to evaluate some of the players at their disposal.
Banda said a lot of positives were drawn from the Zambezi Eagles’ Telkom sojourn and feels it laid a perfect foundation for national team selection.
However, while the selection of national team coaches has always sparked controversy across the netball community, the junior sides will be coached by developmental mentors.
The coaches will be selected based on development and dedication to nurture raw talent, rather than championship achievements.
This strategic shift ensures that the focus for future generations remains firmly on skill acquisition, foundational understanding and long-term potential.
“Apart from building for the 2027 World Cup, we have the Africa Cup Championships coming later this year and this is the time to start the preparations,” Banda said.
The Gems and their male counterparts the Golden Eagles are also preparing to host Kenya for a series of international friendly matches with dates yet to be announced.
