The Premier Netball League (PNL) is reportedly under fire for its decision to promote teams that did not participate in the ZINA Division One Playoffs, raising concerns about potential breaches of its constitution.
The league’s week 3 fixtures were announced recently.
It featured several new teams that had not competed in the playoffs which were held on February 17, this year.
The teams include Great Zimbabwe University, Hippo Valley, Triangle, St Peter and Paul, Agristars, and Higher Fliers.
Sources from the new teams revealed that they were compelled to join the league by Zina, the netball’s governing body.
This was despite them expressing concerns about their readiness and capacity to participate at this level.
“We were forced to join by Zina.
“We told them we did not participate in the playoffs because we lacked the necessary capacity, but they insisted they wanted numbers for now.
“We doubt we will be able to finish the season. It’s a very tough year for us,” said one team representative.
The decision to promote these teams, despite their lack of participation in the playoffs, appears to contradict PNL’s stated rules.
On February 17, 2024, PNL denied Flow Angels a spot in the Division One Playoffs, citing their sixth-place finish in the Division One league as the reason for their exclusion.
Only the top four teams were allowed to compete for a position in the Premier Netball League.
However, it later emerged that Flow Angels had actually finished in the top four of the league.
They had also paid their affiliation for the tournament but were only denied because Flow Angels players had severed ties with Stormers, a team owned by Zina Organising Secretary Alex Masimba.
According to section 10.5 of the PNL constitution:
“A club from the ZINA promotional league that elects to participate in the league must lodge the prescribed membership forms.
“They should put together with the relevant documents from ZINA within two weeks of the commencement of the League.”
This requirement raises questions about whether the new teams have fulfilled these obligations and whether the PNL has followed its own rules in allowing them to join the league.
An official from PNL said:
“If a team writes to us to say we want to play, what should we do about it?
“When exactly do we know there is a vacant?
“We want everyone to play.”
Asked why they failed to allow Flow Angels, the official said:
“You can ask the mother body, ndiyo inowona nezve ma playoffs.
“Stop finding fault in everything we do.
“Even if we break the constitution, it’s our own after all. We make the rules.”
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