Malawi’s GOtv netball tournament returns August
The fourth edition of Malawi’s GOtv Netball Champions League will throw off in August using the FAST 5 format to assist Malawi national netball team to prepare for 2017 FAST 5 World Series to take place in Australia in October 2017.
According to MultiChoice Malawi, the digital satellite television service providers, the tournament returns big and better after a short break and matches to be broadcast live on local TV and shall run up to September 2017.
“We wish to inform Malawian netball enthusiasts that the GOtv Netball Champions League will return this year and in grand style,” said MultiChoice Sales and Marketing Manager Chimwemwe Nyirenda in a statement made available to Nyasa Times.
“Following the success of the Queens at 2016 FAST 5 tournament where they finished in the top three, the 2017 GOtv Netball tournament format will also be in FAST 5 format. The idea behind it is to familiarise local players with the system of play because it is different from the normal netball rules.
“The success of the Queens at the 2016 FAST 5 has shown that the players benefited from that tournament. We hope coaches can also use the GOtv FAST 5 to select players best suited for the FAST 5 and teach them properly for more success,” he said.
Nyirenda also disclosed that matches will be broadcast live with the view of increasing popularity of the game in Malawi.
He said people can also get more information through a promotional video describing the journey of GOtv romance with Malawi netball on the GOtv Malawi website, www.gotvafrica.com.
GOtv Netball Champions League was launched in 2013 with aim of transforming netball into a big brand owing to its success on the international stage.
The tournament is competed for by the top teams in each region, hence Netball Champions League because it is only national league and cream of local netball.
At the beginning, the competition attracted only the top teams in Blantyre and Lilongwe. Teams from the Mzuzu were added last year in 2015 after GOtv launched its signal in Mzuzu.
GOtv Netball Champions League introduced the first ever Netball Awards Gala Night where best netballers are awarded for their performances on the court.
It was the first tournament to reward players for their sweat by dedicating 80 percent of the sponsorship to the players through prizes.
GOtv Netball Champions League was the first tournament to broadcast matches live on Times TV in 2014 and Zodiak TV in 2015 and reated the first netball website which had all information concerning the netball tournament and all latest netball news.
Because of the success of netball in Malawi, GOtv appointed some netballers as brand ambassadors in the likes of Malawi’s netball legend Mary Waya in 2014 and Malawi current top shooter Sindi Simtowe in 2015.
GOtv Champions League has popularised netball through live broadcast on local tv and promotion so much that the last tournament had Don Bosco Collage Netball Court in Lilongwe filled to the rafters with 15,000 spectators.
The last edition was competed for by the following teams:
Diamond Sisters (current defending champions and two time winners), Tigresses (one time winners), Thunder Queens, Blue Eagles, Civonets and Malawi Defence MAFCO Soldiers, Lameck Queens and Mimosa Queens.
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