NPL to start next weekend

The Namibia Premier League Board of Governors meeting confirmed on Wednesday that the local league will kick off on 20 October. At the meeting, fixtures and a budget for the 2017/18 NPL season were adopted, but NPL chairman Patrick Kauta could not confirm the prize money and monthly grant allocation to the competing clubs before they officially sign with the sponsors. The opening game of the league will be played by Orlando Pirates and African Stars. Orlando Pirates coach Woody Jacobs said his team had not been training because of the uncertainty about the league kick-off. “We trained for a week and then stopped as it was not clear when the league would start. I don't know if we are going to play next weekend,” he said. Marley Ngarizemo, owner of Young African Football Club and a member of the NPL executive committee, told Nampa yesterday that all 16 clubs were informed of the kick-off date. “We do not want to say anything when it comes to sponsorship. The sponsors have asked us to leave that to them so they can announce what they are giving and for how long by early next week,” Ngarizemo said. He added that all NPL teams attended the meeting. “The majority of the teams went into that meeting positive that the league would kick off. Nobody showed that they are not going to play football,” he said. Ngarizemo said clubs that missed their first three games would be expelled from the league, so it would be wise for teams that had any administrative issues to communicate with the league administrators. The NPL found itself without a sponsor following the expiry of a three-year sponsorship deal with Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) last year. The league then presented a N$24 million budget, but MTC sponsored only N$15 million on condition that the NPL sourced the extra N$9 million. Efforts to source the extra money proved futile, leading to the abandonment of the start of the 2016/2017 league. - Additional information NAMPALIMBA MUPETAMI

NPL to start next weekend

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-16

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NPL to start next weekend

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-16

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