NAM still hopes for Standard Bank trophy

The Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) is still hopeful of the Standard Bank netball trophy’s return this year after the sponsors refused to bankroll 2011’s edition due to ‘amateurish’ administration.

NAM president Rosy Chinunda was optimistic on Thursday when asked if there was any reassuring word for the trophy’s return this season. The bank has since renewed its commitment to relatively organised football.

“They indicated that they would be hosting a press conference over this trophy, so we have some hope,” Chinunda said.

The bank’s managing director Charles Mudiwa last year blasted NAM for being disorganised, citing the association’s failure to establish a secretariat, among others. NAM’s continued wrangles with its affiliates such as the Blantyre and Districts Netball League also irked the sponsors.

But Chinunda yesterday assured that they had now put their house in order “and probably by next week, we should have a full-time officer at our Blantyre secretariat.”

Standard Bank’s head of marketing Linda Kachingwe-Sisya last week and on Tuesday only promised to come back to The Nation.

Meanwhile, Chinunda said Presidential Cup games will enter the district stage this weekend across the country before rolling out to the regional level next week with the national finals on the weekend of July 28.