From the Sidelines: Year 2007 on the go

PREMIERSHIP football will serve as the pacesetter for the 2007 sport season domestically, when the teams will be aiming to continue where they left off last year.

At this stage, there is not much going on in terms of major sporting events across the country. Generally, January is a month for most teams to prepare for the domestic season as some codes will start with their programmes in early February, or towards the end of this month.Football lovers, however, do not have to wait any longer, as the league authorities have assigned matches to clubs across the country.It has been evident over the years that teams do not deliver quality football right after the players have returned from the holidays.Some players will still be missing from their teams as they are still out taking extended breaks, while some will be nursing injuries after competing in tournaments held in the rural areas or at the coast.Despite the league resuming this weekend, this year promises to be eventful in general on the Namibian sporting front.The biggest of them all is the Namibian national rugby side competing at the World Cup in France later in September this year.Namibia will be going to its third World Cup in that discipline and it will be all up to the sponsors, administrators, players and supporters to ensure that the team is successful.Namibia will not win the Rugby World Cup, but their performance against the dominant powerhouses such as France, Argentina and Ireland will put the name of the country up among the best.They need to go for tries and score points to have that recognition.There will be a lot of football as usual, as Namibia will continue with their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign, the Brave Gladiators are also involved in their qualifiers for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, while top athletes such as Agnes Samaria, Hilaria Johannes, Frank Puriza and many others will be trying to qualify for the same event.Cricket will be doing duty domestically after failing to catch the World Cup boat, while there is certainly a lot of activities on both the swimming and cycling calendars as usual.Cycling and swimming are possibly the busiest codes in terms of competing outside the country and this trend will undoubtedly continue this year.Namibian boxers will also vie for qualification to the 2008 Olympics and I have no doubt that we will be represented there.The boxers will be there and something will come from them.There are also several Zone Six competitions across the region, not to forget the busy local schedule for clubs in all the different codes.Athletes and players competing in especially football, cricket, athletics and rugby will be expected to produce the goods to make 2007 a year to remember.Footballers have to make it a point to at least qualify for the Nations Cup, because this will spur them on to make it to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.Netball has relegated itself from one of the most favoured and well-attended sport codes in the country and its president, Carol Garoes, was given another opportunity to revive the ailing code.Garoes has the chance to prove her critics wrong by firstly putting together credible national sides which should then play on an international level as regularly as possible.The Zone Six under-20 netball side, which won silver at those Games held in Namibia, will be natural senior team players, at least by next year, and a lot of focus needs to be placed on them, but the game also has to be strengthened in the regions.On athletics, AN president Alpha Kangueehi also has the chance to show what he is capable of this year.He was given a lifeline by the athletics world body after he was temporarily ousted, but now he needs to rectify all the wrongs and bring everyone who fought against him to his side.That will be the best option to achieve success, Mr Kangueehi.Well, I hope that this year Namibian sports fans will witness fabulous goals from football players, top-deck performances from swimmers, boxers, cyclists, athletes, and majestic victories from the cricketers, not forgetting the proper administration of all the codes.Lastly, I would like to thank all who are regular readers of this column.I appreciate your compliments, comments and criticism.Happy New Year to you all and let the games begin!Generally, January is a month for most teams to prepare for the domestic season as some codes will start with their programmes in early February, or towards the end of this month.Football lovers, however, do not have to wait any longer, as the league authorities have assigned matches to clubs across the country.It has been evident over the years that teams do not deliver quality football right after the players have returned from the holidays.Some players will still be missing from their teams as they are still out taking extended breaks, while some will be nursing injuries after competing in tournaments held in the rural areas or at the coast.Despite the league resuming this weekend, this year promises to be eventful in general on the Namibian sporting front.The biggest of them all is the Namibian national rugby side competing at the World Cup in France later in September this year.Namibia will be going to its third World Cup in that discipline and it will be all up to the sponsors, administrators, players and supporters to ensure that the team is successful.Namibia will not win the Rugby World Cup, but their performance against the dominant powerhouses such as France, Argentina and Ireland will put the name of the country up among the best.They need to go for tries and score points to have that recognition.There will be a lot of football as usual, as Namibia will continue with their African Nations Cup qualifying campaign, the Brave Gladiators are also involved in their qualifiers for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, while top athletes such as Agnes Samaria, Hilaria Johannes, Frank Puriza and many others will be trying to qualify for the same event.Cricket will be doing duty domestically after failing to catch the World Cup boat, while there is certainly a lot of activities on both the swimming and cycling calendars as usual.Cycling and swimming are possibly the busiest codes in terms of competing outside the country and this trend will undoubtedly continue this year.Namibian boxers will also vie for qualification to the 2008 Olympics and I have no doubt that we will be represented there.The boxers will be there and something will come from them.There are also several Zone Six competitions across the region, not to forget the busy local schedule for clubs in all the different codes.Athletes and players competing in especially football, cricket, athletics and rugby will be expected to produce the goods to make 2007 a year to remember.Footballers have to make it a point to at least qualify for the Nations Cup, because this will spur them on to make it to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.Netball has relegated itself from one of the most favoured and well-attended sport codes in the country and its president, Carol Garoes, was given another opportunity to revive the ailing code.Garoes has the chance to prove her critics wrong by firstly putting together credible national sides which should then play on an international level as regularly as possible.The Zone Six under-20 netball side, which won silver at those Games held in Namibia, will be natural senior team players, at least by next year, and a lot of focus needs to be placed on them, but the game also has to be strengthened in the regions.On athletics, AN president Alpha Kangueehi also has the chance to show what he is capable of this year.He was given a lifeline by the athletics world body after he was temporarily ousted, but now he needs to rectify all the wrongs and bring everyone who fought against him to his side.That will be the best option to achieve success, Mr Kangueehi.Well, I hope that this year Namibian sports fans will witness fabulous goals from football players, top-deck performances from swimmers, boxers, cyclists, athletes, and majestic victories from the cricketers, not forgetting the proper administration of all the codes.Lastly, I would like to thank all who are regular readers of this column.I appreciate your compliments, comments and criticism.Happy New Year to you all and let the games begin!