Now hard work! It is pleasing to see football administrators finally working together to enhance the beautiful game. This past weekend, the Namibia Premier League (NPL) elected prominent lawyer Patrick Kauta as its chairperson and Black Africa's Boni Paulino as deputy chairperson. The two were elected unopposed at an extraordinary elective congress in Windhoek. The mere fact that Kauta and Paulino were recognised as sole candidates signifies the overwhelming vote of confidence the clubs have shown in their leadership abilities. Prior to the elective congress, the clubs had given thumbs up to a new draft constitution as well as rules and regulations governing the local league. The NPL needed to get its house in order and ultimately improve the administration of local football in the country. The top-flight league has been inactive since May last year due to infighting and lack of sponsorship. However, we believe that with the recently installed leadership, there is hope for Namibian football and the time is right to work towards a path of success. We have surely learned from the consequences of our past mistakes and the shame it has brought to the football fraternity. For far too long football found itself in total chaos with poor administration being the order of the day. It is our sincere hope that the new leadership has conjured up good ideas to ensure that the league was attractive enough for potential sponsors. There are major priorities that the new leadership will be preoccupied with and we are pretty sure that winning back the hearts of sponsors is one of them.
As the number-one sport in the country, football, like many other sporting codes, plays an important role in society and the onus should be on establishing new and innovative ways to grow the sport. We want the incoming leadership to lay a foundation for long-term success, including properly accounting for the league's finances, which have been a quite an issue in the past. However, the Kauta-led administration will need clubs and soccer fans alike to buy into the big idea or vision they have for our football to prosper.