THE Namibian Newspaper Cup goes into its fourth year with the holding of what is expected to be its biggest tournament so far to be held in Oshakati over the Easter weekend from April 9-12.
At the launch of the competition yesterday, The Namibian’s editor, Gwen Lister, handed a cheque of N$210 000 to the President of the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Petrus Damaseb. With the handover, the newspaper again committed itself to the cause seen as vital for the advancement of football in the country through a tournament, which involves all 13 regions and the development of young players.The Namibian Newspaper Cup started out in 2001 with a tournament in Windhoek; the next year Otjiwarongo was the venue; followed by Gobabis in 2003.This year The Namibian Newspaper Cup will be held at the Independence Stadium in Oshakati, where The Namibian recently also contributed N$200 000 for the erection of a fence before the inauguration by President Sam Nujoma in January.Key to The Namibian’s sponsorship of the tournament is the development of football at grassroots level and Lister, speaking when handing over the cheque, also appealed to the NFA to ensure that there would be transparency of the selection process of players at the regional level.”So far, young players with the potential have been identified through this tournament in the past, and many opportunities have opened up for those who are talent-spotted,” she said.At this stage, more than ten players who were spotted at the tournament were included in the various national teams, with some playing in the elite league after turning out in the lower divisions before the event.Damaseb said the competition has become part of the associations stable and it is an important event, as it is not only involves the regions, but covers the country at large.”We are pleased that the budget has improved this year and we are planning to have a centralised booking arrangement for all the players and their officials this year,” he said.The Namibian covers the transportation, accommodation and meals for all the regions, which this year is put at around N$300 000.Damaseb said people should flock to the four-day event in their thousands, as the entrance will be free of charge.The Namibian reiterated its support for women’s soccer, by giving an amount of N$5 000 for women’s teams to hold a separate tournament in the north, and women’s teams will also play the curtain-raiser to the final at the Newspaper Cup.The popular Supa Strikas team will bring added colour to the event, by travelling from Cape Town, to do cartooning workshops with the youth at the Stadium.Lister said an added spin-off from the Newspaper Cup was economic infusion into the towns in which it is held.Last year, it was reported that Gobabis benefitted by an amount of N$2 million in accommodation bookings, sales of foodstuffs and other activities centered around the competition.”This event has become a fixed activity on the soccer calendar and this year will even be bigger than the previous years, Otweya kOshakati,” she announced.With the handover, the newspaper again committed itself to the cause seen as vital for the advancement of football in the country through a tournament, which involves all 13 regions and the development of young players. The Namibian Newspaper Cup started out in 2001 with a tournament in Windhoek; the next year Otjiwarongo was the venue; followed by Gobabis in 2003. This year The Namibian Newspaper Cup will be held at the Independence Stadium in Oshakati, where The Namibian recently also contributed N$200 000 for the erection of a fence before the inauguration by President Sam Nujoma in January. Key to The Namibian’s sponsorship of the tournament is the development of football at grassroots level and Lister, speaking when handing over the cheque, also appealed to the NFA to ensure that there would be transparency of the selection process of players at the regional level. “So far, young players with the potential have been identified through this tournament in the past, and many opportunities have opened up for those who are talent-spotted,” she said. At this stage, more than ten players who were spotted at the tournament were included in the various national teams, with some playing in the elite league after turning out in the lower divisions before the event. Damaseb said the competition has become part of the associations stable and it is an important event, as it is not only involves the regions, but covers the country at large. “We are pleased that the budget has improved this year and we are planning to have a centralised booking arrangement for all the players and their officials this year,” he said. The Namibian covers the transportation, accommodation and meals for all the regions, which this year is put at around N$300 000. Damaseb said people should flock to the four-day event in their thousands, as the entrance will be free of charge. The Namibian reiterated its support for women’s soccer, by giving an amount of N$5 000 for women’s teams to hold a separate tournament in the north, and women’s teams will also play the curtain-raiser to the final at the Newspaper Cup. The popular Supa Strikas team will bring added colour to the event, by travelling from Cape Town, to do cartooning workshops with the youth at the Stadium. Lister said an added spin-off from the Newspaper Cup was economic infusion into the towns in which it is held. Last year, it was reported that Gobabis benefitted by an amount of N$2 million in accommodation bookings, sales of foodstuffs and other activities centered around the competition. “This event has become a fixed activity on the soccer calendar and this year will even be bigger than the previous years, Otweya kOshakati,” she announced.
