Ball Games team told to be disciplined

NAMIBIAN sports authorities yesterday urged a team of close to 100 under-17 players in four different sport codes to exercise a high level of discipline when they compete at the Cossasa Ball Games in South Africa, starting this Thursday.

Deputy Minister of Sport Pohamba Shifeta and the director of Schools’ Sports, Edelbergh Katamba, both urged the players not to let themselves and the country down with their behaviour on foreign soil. Pohamba said the players, who are set to compete in netball, volleyball, football and rugby, should maintain discipline and he does not want scandals from them during their competitions in Pretoria.He said because the players are under the age of 17, they need to portray a good image of the country on and off the field.”You should keep Namibia’s name high as a team, but should be going there as individuals.You need to be proud of your country,” Shifeta told the players, who will be accompanied by 29 officials.He said Government has created an enabling environment for them to compete at the highest level and gauge their strengths against other nations.”When you come back with the experience that you gained from these games, it will be expected from you to build on that and use it further in our international competitions in other parts of the world,” Shifeta said.Katamba said there should be no room for indiscipline and that the behaviour of the players would be monitored by the media, which would expose those involved in any scandals.At the same occasion, the president of Confederation of School Sports in Southern Africa (Cossasa), Frans Gertze, said school sports had taken its rightful place among the other sport federations in the country.He said some schools had better facilities than many sport federations for adults.He said the competition, which used to cater for players under 19 years of age, is now strictly catering for under-17s as part of Cossasa’s strategic alignment to meet the needs of emerging sportsmen and women.The competition, which will be held at the University of Pretoria, officially starts on Friday and teams are expected to arrive on Thursday.Cossasa was formed in Windhoek nine years ago and the country has in the past hosted the games.Hibertine Mbasuva is the chef de mission of the Namibian team, while Irvin Ndjavera will serve as the general team manager.Katamba will be going as the Government representative, while there will also be three physiotherapists accompanying the team.Each code will have a coach and an assistant coach, while there will also be an umpire or referee for each of the disciplines.The team leaves by bus tomorrow afternoon.The games will end on Sunday.Pohamba said the players, who are set to compete in netball, volleyball, football and rugby, should maintain discipline and he does not want scandals from them during their competitions in Pretoria.He said because the players are under the age of 17, they need to portray a good image of the country on and off the field.”You should keep Namibia’s name high as a team, but should be going there as individuals.You need to be proud of your country,” Shifeta told the players, who will be accompanied by 29 officials.He said Government has created an enabling environment for them to compete at the highest level and gauge their strengths against other nations.”When you come back with the experience that you gained from these games, it will be expected from you to build on that and use it further in our international competitions in other parts of the world,” Shifeta said. Katamba said there should be no room for indiscipline and that the behaviour of the players would be monitored by the media, which would expose those involved in any scandals.At the same occasion, the president of Confederation of School Sports in Southern Africa (Cossasa), Frans Gertze, said school sports had taken its rightful place among the other sport federations in the country.He said some schools had better facilities than many sport federations for adults.He said the competition, which used to cater for players under 19 years of age, is now strictly catering for under-17s as part of Cossasa’s strategic alignment to meet the needs of emerging sportsmen and women.The competition, which will be held at the University of Pretoria, officially starts on Friday and teams are expected to arrive on Thursday.Cossasa was formed in Windhoek nine years ago and the country has in the past hosted the games.Hibertine Mbasuva is the chef de mission of the Namibian team, while Irvin Ndjavera will serve as the general team manager.Katamba will be going as the Government representative, while there will also be three physiotherapists accompanying the team.Each code will have a coach and an assistant coach, while there will also be an umpire or referee for each of the disciplines.The team leaves by bus tomorrow afternoon.The games will end on Sunday.