Stronger together

Debmarine ‘bridging the gap’
Mariselle Stofberg
Bridging the Gap is a tournament for u17 netball and u15 football boys, created by Debmarine using sport as a tool to reach the country’s youth.

The initiative is supported by Netball Namibia (NN), the Namibia Football Association (NFA) and the Namibian School Sports Union (NSSU). NN and the NFA are the mother bodies of these codes, while the Namibia Sport Commission, the Ministry of Sport – as custodians of sport – and the NSSU are the implementation agencies for the programme.

Debmarine Namibia chief executive Otto Shikongo says other parastatals in Namibia need to join government in helping shape the youth, since without the youth there will be no future. “Sport itself is critical to the development of the youth in that it brings about discipline, dedication and commitment, not forgetting the health benefits. Participants learn to respect decisions made by their sport leaders despite having different views.”

Schools are divided into zones for trials and where seven netball players and two officials, and 11 football players and two officials from each zone are selected. NN and the NFA support the NSSU structures in the zonal events to select players. Regional teams are then selected, which receive funding towards their selection and preparation. Thereafter regional teams are selected with ten netball players and two officials, while the regional football teams consist of 15 players and two officials.

Finally, the nationals take place where winners are crowned.