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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE newly formed Rainbow Netball League bankrolled by Pickglow Trading (Pvt) Ltd is set to meet on Saturday to adopt a constitution that will be forwarded to the Zimbabwe Netball Association, the custodians of netball in the country.

Formed after the national netball governing body had failed to lure reasonable sponsorship to the game, the Rainbow Netball League, chaired by Melody Garikai, will be funded to the tune of $500 000, a milestone achievement meant to benefit the sport and improve participation nationally.

“We are meeting this Saturday to adopt the constitution before we submit the document to Zina to peruse and then register us as their affiliate,” said the new league’s secretary-general Moses Gukurume.

Other executive committee members are vice-chairperson Patrick Dovi, deputy secretary-general Precious Mudenge, treasurer Joselyne Muchenje and fixtures secretary Obert Njiri. Peter Ncube, Namatai Satande, Viola Chirisa, Chipo Tsumba and Thembinkosi Muremba complete the executive line-up as committee members. Despite a clear vision to help improve the standard of the game in the country, the new league seems to be headed for a confrontation with Zina, which has declared that it won’t entertain the Rainbow Netball League.

Long serving Zina president Leticia Chipandu, who has presided over the association with an iron fist, said the national association will not entertain the new league, although sources told Chronicle Sport that the country’s supreme sports body, the Sports and Recreation Commission, had given the new league the green light.

“This is called proliferation of parallel structures and we won’t entertain that. If they were doing it in good faith, they know about netball, they were in the structures, why couldn’t they just come to say this is what we want to do? This league is not sanctioned period,” said Chipandu last week.

Zina though seems to be fighting a losing war, as the majority of clubs in the country have endorsed the new league and are ready to take part despite threats from the Zina executive.

The Zina Super League has mainly Harare-based teams, which have, however, given their support to the new kid on the block.

“Zina leadership must know here and now that we are not after their leadership positions, especially that of the presidency, but just want to run the game like the Premier Soccer League,” said a member of the executive.

@skhumoyo2000