Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Cricket Namibia’s chief executive officer, Johan Muller, has asked the Erongo regional governor, Neville Andre, to allocate land for the construction of an international cricket stadium in the region.
Muller made the request this week during the opening of the Mondesa Cricket Hub in Swakopmund.
The new facility, located at Hanganeni Primary School, is part of Cricket Namibia’s drive to bring the sport closer to communities and give young players in the coastal town a chance to train on proper turf.
“Honourable governor, we purposefully invited you to the new Cricket Namibia ground in Windhoek, and we hosted you on the first level of the new building while it was still a construction site. We came to you with this approach – give us land in your region to develop this facility. We are ready; as Cricket Namibia, we are ready to build. We want to build a second international cricket facility in Namibia, and we want to build it in your region,” said Muller.
He said Swakopmund has been key to the development of various sports and should also host an international standard stadium.
Muller noted that the Erongo region has produced players who went on to represent the national team, the Eagles.
“Honourable, we are committed, we are ready and we are waiting for your appointment on Friday, and then maybe we can drive this thing forward,” he said.
The cricket hub was opened in partnership with Langer Heinrich Uranium.
Muller thanked Langer Heinrich Uranium for its support and commitment to developing young talent.
“We are incredibly grateful to Langer Heinrich Uranium for believing in the power of sport and investing in the community. This hub is more than just a training ground; it’s a platform of hope and opportunity. We look forward to seeing the talent this facility will nurture and the positive impact it will have across the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Andre praised Cricket Namibia for its efforts in growing the sport across the country and raising the nation’s international profile.
“I want to thank Cricket Namibia for achieving this. We are a country that is participating in international competitions. And, for a small country like ours that is now hosting international games, it is because of our collaboration and the hard work of our leadership at Cricket Namibia. We must be hopeful that more is still to come. We must unite and hold hands because we want a better Namibia,” said Andre.
The launch of the Mondesa Cricket Hub was attended by regional and local leaders, including Swakopmund deputy mayor Suamma Kautondokwa, Langer Heinrich Uranium managing director Johan Roux, Hanganeni Primary School principal Bertha Kadhila, and players from Cricket Namibia’s High Performance programme.
