Early start for Naaz in race to 2026 AUSC Games

Zimpapers Sports HubZIMBABWE Netball Association (Zina) says the weekend’s national team trials not only drew a strong turnout but also revealed a rich pool of young talent, ready to carry the sport into the next era.Held at Girls’ High School in Harare on August 9 and 10, the trials were Zina’s first step in adapting to World Netball’s decision to shorten the World Cup cycle from four years to two, starting after the 2027 tournament The change has forced national bodies to fast-track player development and ensure a steady flow of top-tier talent.At least 100 players, mostly aged 19 and under, answered the call from across the provinces Only 20 made the cut Senior national head coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki, who also leads the Zambezi Eagles national select team, oversaw the scouting.“It was an impressive turnout, we largely had young girls of ages 19 and below,” Mutsauki said “We witnessed immense talent from all over, and it was a mammoth task to eventually pick only 20 from all that talent.”Mutsauki said the trials have given selectors a clearer picture of the type of team Zimbabwe can assemble for the future The shortlisted players will join the Zambezi Eagles in camp on August 17 The Eagles, established earlier this year as a feeder team for the Gems, are central to Zina’s development plan.In May, the Eagles made their debut at South Africa’s Telkom Netball League, giving emerging players competitive exposure against some of the continent’s best Mutsauki believes the integration of the new crop with the Eagles will sharpen skills and foster cohesion.“With this upcoming camp, we want to integrate these players into a unified training environment with the hope of enhancing their skills and teamwork,” he said “This process is essential for our success at higher level competitions, as well as our long term vision of rising to be the regional powerhouse.”Zina technical director John Banda said the camp marks the start of structured preparations for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers Friendly matches are planned for later this month and in September, before the Celtic Cup Test Series in November in Scotland, and the Africa Cup in December in Malawi.Some of the friendlies will feature Zimbabwe hosting Kenya’s men’s and women’s national teams Banda said the trials also attracted players from outside the country, raising competition levels.“From a development perspective, we now have what we believe is a good pool of players to select from,” Banda said “We made the selection platform open to everyone who believes they can make the grade, so we are sure that even those who did not make it are satisfied The platform was open to everyone.“Players from outside Zimbabwe also came for trials, there was a lot of competition and now we move to the next stage, which is to build proper teams from all this talent.”The player pathway will move from the junior national squad to the Zambezi Eagles and eventually to the Gems Those who fall out of the senior team will not be discarded, Banda said, but instead groomed for coaching, management and administrative roles.“Obviously, in the long run, we will have players, especially seniors, eventually no longer making it onto the team, so we are not going to discard them,” Banda said “They will have served the nation in their time and the right thing for us to do is groom them for other roles This ensures that all current and former players have a chance to contribute to the sport, regardless of their playing status.”Share on FacebookPost on XFollow usSave Originally published on Zimbabwe Herald All Zim News is a central hub for all things Zimbabwean, curating news from across the country so no story is missed Alongside aggregation, our team of nationwide reporters provides real-time, on-the-ground coverage Stay informed and connected — reach us at admin@allzimnews.com . Source: Herald_Com