Botswana Netball Association (BONA) is upbeat that the national netball team will qualify for the world cup finals billed for England next year.
BONA Public Relations Officer (PRO), Theresa Hirschfeld gushed with optimism saying the team has had enough time and support to prepare for the competition.
The national team players is on camp to prepare for the Africa Women Netball World Cup qualifiers billed for the 14th August in Lusaka, Zambia.
BONA has roped in the South African coach, Dorette Bardenhorst to drill the team ahead of the competition. Bardenhorst is considered a big catch for the Botswana team because of his experience and qualification.
“BONA was also looking for a neutral and experienced person who is not known within the Botswana shores to head the team because we wanted to avoid complaints favouritism. We did not want that” said Hirschfeld.
The South African is assisted by Neo Dema. “The team has been given enough time to prepare for the qualifiers and we are confident that the women will make the nation proud,” said Hirschfeld.
The national team has a busy calendar in preparation for Zambia. “The team was invited to participate in the “Best of The Best Netball Tournament” hosted by BDF Cats netball club.
Hirschfeld observed that “participating in the tournament enhanced the team’s performance and technical awareness for the tournament because the tournament featured some top teams from South Africa and Zimbabwe. BONA expect the players to have gained necessary exposure and boosted their individual performances” she said. The tournament is also expected to have helped the coach identify areas to work on in strengthening her team.
BONA will also use the qualifiers to improve the team’s rankings. The team is currently ranked 22 in the world.
