A double defeat in their first two fixtures of the second round of the national netball league on Saturday and the Hamz Stadium in Nakivubo has not dwindled new league outfit UGX Luweero’s hopes of keeping in the national netball league.
The Luweero based side first registered a 58-30 loss against fellow newbies UGISHA before they were walloped 60-31 by league favorites National Insurance Corporation (NIC) later in the evening.
Having double fixtures on a given league outing is no easy feat for a team that travels from Luwero to Kampala on a given league day, but playing two fixtures helps them to cut transport costs by reducing their trips to Nakivubo in a season.
Most national league sides have their home training grounds from where they can host league games on a given day, but Netball Uganda chose the famous Nakivubo stadium as a host ground for all teams.
UG X Luwero Captain Madrine Nakalema admits that her team was unfit that led to the double loss, but also believes hosting home games will improve their performance.
‘On fitness we shall work harder to see that the team performs well in our next fixtures since our target is to exit the relegation zone,’ Nakalema said.
‘We have to travel to Kampala on every game day as if we do not have a home ground. We also have a home ground and we could host some of our league games for the home advantage as well as attracting more fans,’ she added.
In the first round, Busia Greater Lions Netball Club would travel to Kampala for double fixtures on a given day, however after deliberations with the netball governing body, the team has hosted their two second round fixtures at home.
The team hosted NIC before playing against UPDF this Saturday in Busia.
Team manager Muhammed Sifuna says they have minimized transport costs and also solved the problem of fatigue from the long journey.
‘We have not yet returned to our winning ways but we are improving as a team in terms of performance. Our fans are also returning and most importantly the transport costs have reduced and our players no longer spend long hours plagued by traffic on the way,’ Sifuna told Daily Monitor.
The league will resume on Saturday, with teams vying for positions and trying to overcome their challenges.
Results
Ugisha 58 – 30 UGX Luweero
NIC 60-31 UGX Luweero