Mbeya Regional Commissioner (RC), Abbas Kandoro will officially open the Tanzania Mainland First Division Netball League at the Sokoine Memorial Stadium in Mbeya on Sunday.
Mbeya Regional Commissioner, Abbas Kandoro
Tanzania Amateur Netball Association (CHANETA) chairperson Anna Kibira said yesterday that 14 teams are expected to take part in the tournament that is being held in Mbeya for the second consecutive year.
She named the teams as defending champions Filbert Bayi Foundation of Kibaha in Coast Region, JKT Mbweni, JKT Ruvu, Jeshi Stars and CMTU of Dar es Salaam. Others are Tumbaku and Prisons of Morogoro, Tamisemi Dodoma, Police Mwanza, Police Arusha, Immigration Dar es Salaam, RAS Lindi, Amambe and Police of Mbeya.
“Three teams – Mapinduzi of Dodoma, Police Morogoro, Police and Tumaini of Dar es Salaam – have withdrawn from the competition which ends on September 7 this year,” said Kibira. Bandari of Dar es Salaam and Temeke Queens did not confirm participation,” she added.
Kibira said all teams are required to report at the Sokoine Memorial Stadium this morning to be briefed on the tournament. She added the competition will take off tomorrow morning but the afternoon has been reserved for the Vodacom Premier League match between newly promoted Mbeya City SC and Kagera Sugar to be held at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Mbeya Regional Netball Association chairperson Mary King’ong’o said over the phone from Mbeya that Filbert Bayi Foundation and Police Arusha had already arrived there by on Thursday.
“CHANETA Executive Committee members, umpires and other officials left Dar es Salaam this morning (yesterday) and we expect them to be here in the afternoon,” she said.
King’ong’o, however, complained that some people have not fulfilled their promise to support the league financially. “Several institutions and individuals pledged before Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training Phillipo Mulugo to bankroll the tournament last year,” she said.
“But so far only NSSF (National Social Security Fund) and Mzumbe University have submitted their contributions and the rest have refused to respond in kind,” she added.
Meanwhile, CHANETA has failed to send an official to the International Netball Federation (INF) General Assembly which started in Glasgow, Scotland yesterday. The association’s vicechairperson,
Zainabu Mbiro, was supposed to represent CHANETA at the meeting but could not get visa in time. The assembly runs concurrently with the Under-21 World Championship. The city will also host next year’s Commonwealth Games.
Source Tanzania Daily News