Shooting straight as an arrow
Michael Munyanyiwa
Windhoek – At a time Namibian women’s football is enjoying a purple patch with the rise of stars like Zenatha Coleman, who plays professionally in Spain, Arrows Ladies Football Club is hoping to become a conveyor belt of new talent.
Arrows Ladies recently joined the Namibia Women’s Super League, and it has thrown open its doors to female footballers who think they have what it takes to step up.
The team was established last year as a platform for both amateurs and experienced players, with the aim of honing talent for the national team as well as to nurture players who can play in professional leagues abroad.
Arrows Ladies team manager Salomon “Eto’o’ Nakale, says: “I love football and I believe everybody in life deserve equal chances and opportunities. As you know, women’s football in Namibia is on the verge of transformation; we have got about plus or minus 30, 40 teams in the country and 14 in the Super League. We want to add value.”
With experience in sports management from the University of East Anglia, a Confederation of African Football D license, and a Namibia Football Association license, Nakale wants Arrows Ladies become a force in women’s football.
“Managing a team that is new is not easy, we had to start from scratch. We had to make sure that you teach them how to block a ball, how to pass it, how to run into open spaces, how to position yourself, how to communicate, playing under pressure and pressing. We are inculcating the essentials of both mental and physical fitness.
“We want them to be totally disciplined, because when you are disciplined then you’re on a good footing. It will go a long way in turning around women’s soccer in the country and the perspective that people have of women’s soccer,” added the Arrows Ladies manager.
Based in the high-density suburb of Katutura in Windhoek, Arrows is making it possible for a large number of young girls and ladies to develop an interest in soccer.
The club’s 18-year-old winger Mercy Fleermuys told The Southern Times Sport that Arrows is broadening her horizons.
“Playing football is a way of relaxing and it helps you stay away from problems you might encounter as a teenager growing up. Some people think that playing soccer will only end in injuries, but fear is the one thing that will actually make you get injured. Playing soccer is one of the greatest opportunities one can have,” said Fleermuys.
