The Kavango West Region Under-20 football and netball teams received a hero’s welcome when they arrived in their home town of Nkurenkuru on Tuesday.

The football team, was for the first time ever crowned champions of this year’s The Namibian Newspaper Cup after defeating Otjozondjupa Region 2-0 on Monday.

The netball team took the fourth place at the games held in Otjiwarongo over the weekend.

The team walked, parading their winning trophy all the way from Nkurenkuru Tula Service Station up till the Nkurenkuru Town Council where the regional leadership as well as the town’s community gave them words of appreciation.

The coach of the football team Julius Simbombo told Nampa on Tuesday that the entire team is elated over their win, before stating that the target was to get through the group stages.

“I knew the possibility for us to win this year’s cup was high because I had the right squad that was very highly motivated and positive,” Simbombo said.

He said they are even more surprised being crowned the champions, when they come from a region with very little resources to their disposal.

The little resources the coach is referring to is the fact that the region does not have a standard sports field and players are forced to train at school playgrounds.

“Many of the players are not exposed as they are from rural areas and have never travelled before, many saw Otjiwarongo and other towns for the first time in their lives,” the caretaker shared.

He called on the regional leadership to lobby for funds for sports facilities to be developed at the town of Nkurenkuru.

Simbombo also urged all regional coaches to help youth develop their skills at an early stage.

“As the defending champions next year, we want to prepare for training earlier so we ask the business community to assist us with training kits and other items the players may need,” he added.

Kavango West Region Governor, Sirkka Ausiku, said the entire region is proud of all the players.

Ausiku said now would be the time for the line ministry to construct sports facilities at Nkurenkuru and meet the players and upcoming sportsmen and women halfway, especially after showcasing the potential in the region.

“Our players were the only team that did not have tracksuits compared to other regions and were perhaps undermined, I would like to lobby our business community to help out next time to further boost the morale of the players to bring back more trophies,” Ausiku appealed.

The football champions won N.dollars 35 000 in addition to the trophy, while the netball team walked away with N.dollars 3 250 for fourth place.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency