Staff Reporter
SWAKOPMUND, Oct. 18 — The Namibia Fistball Association (NFA) is set to conclude the Namibian Fistball League Championship this weekend at the Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) Fistball Arena. The Bank Windhoek Playoffs will commence with the Under 11 and Under 14 matches on Friday, October 20, 2023, at 18:00. On Saturday, October 21, 2023, the National League, A League, B League, and Under 18 categories will kick off the tournament at 8:00 in the morning.
New Playoff Format
This year marks the implementation of the new playoff format, which was adopted at the 2022 annual general meeting. In the National A League, all points earned have been halved. The four teams will engage in a round-robin scenario, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw, which is then added to the halved points. These encounters are played in two halves of nine minutes each. The team leading the table after three games will face the fourth-placed team in the semi-final, while the second-placed side will take on the third-placed team. The semi-finals, the battle for third place, and the final will be contested best out of five sets.
Defending champions Cohen Fistball Club (CFC 1) and SKW 1 each require four points to secure their positions in the first and second spots on the table, respectively. If they emerge victorious against the runner-up CFC 2, Swakopmund Fistball Club (SFC) could secure a semi-final encounter against the second-placed team. Notably, just five weeks ago, the young coastal squad achieved their first victory in the league against SKW 1 in two decades, promising an exciting match. SKW 1, also known as the Green-Whites, did not qualify for the National A League final for the first time last year since the playoffs were introduced in 2011, although they managed to secure victory in the National B League. They are eager to return to the A-League final this year.
In the National B League, SKW 2, SFC 2, and SKW 4 have already secured spots in the semi-finals. These three teams will compete against each other to improve their positions on the log, with all teams separated by just two points. Teams ranked fourth to seventh will also face off in a round-robin format, with the fourth-placed team set to take on the first-place team in the semi-finals. Every team except SKW 5 still has a chance to secure the National B League title.
In the Under category, the reigning champions, SKW A, will face their clubmates SKW 3 in the first semi-final, while SFC A and SKW B will compete in the second semi-final. A prize-giving ceremony will follow the match day.
In addition, Chile has been selected to host the Under 18 World Championships in 2024. The Fistball Association of Namibia is working to send a male and female delegation for participation.
