Inter-university netball tourney for women from today

Vijayawada: Maris Stella College for Women, Vijayawada, under the aegis of Krishna University, is all set to host the prestigious All India Inter-University Netball Tournament for Women (AIIUNBWT) for the academic year 2025–26 from February 14 to 18. The tournament is expected to showcase top university-level netball talent from across India and promote women’s sports at the national level.

The Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi, has entrusted the conduct of the tournament to Krishna University, which in turn has assigned the organisational responsibility to Maris Stella College for Women. With the support of Krishna University, Stella College management has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the five-day national event.

As many as 88 universities from across the country are expected to participate, with nearly 60 teams already arriving in the city and commencing practice sessions.

For the championship, the college has developed six international-standard netball courts. Four courts will be used for official matches, while the remaining two will serve as practice venues for participating teams. BPEd Students of Vijaya College of Physical Education, led by Principal Dr B Uday Kumar, assisted in preparing the courts and will serve as volunteers during the event.

Ahead of the tournament, Krishna University Vice-Chancellor Prof Koona Ramji, Rector Prof MV Basaveswara Rao, University Sports Board Secretary Dr J Naveena Lavanya Latha, and Maris Stella College Principal Sr Innyasamma inspected the arrangements. They also interacted with members of Krishna University women’s netball team and reviewed the facilities provided for participants.

Speaking to the media, Prof Ramji said the five-day championship would be conducted on a knockout-cum-league basis. He said that the AIU has appointed Dr Vishnu Chaudhari, Director of Sports, Madhav University, Rajasthan, as the tournament observer, while Netball Federation of India has nominated Akash Batra of Sports University of Haryana as the Chief Referee. In addition, the federation, in collaboration with the AP Netball Association, has deputed 30 nationally qualified technical officials to officiate the matches.

He further said that Minister for Human Resources Development, Electronics, IT and Real-Time Governance Nara Lokesh, along with Ministers Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy, Kollu Ravindra, Kolusu Parthasarathy, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath alias Chinni, Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Bala Showry, MLAs Gadde Rammohana Rao, Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao, Yarlagadda Venkata Rao and others, are expected to attend the inaugural programme on February 14.

Meanwhile, Prof Ramji said that matches would be conducted daily from 7 am to 6 pm, with league matches scheduled on the final two days. The college management has arranged accommodation for nearly 1,000 players representing 88 teams from different parts of the country on the campus, he said. Separate arrangements have been made at the indoor stadium for match officials, and food facilities would also be provided to all players and team officials, he added.

University Rector Prof Basaveswara Rao said this would be the second time Krishna University is hosting a national-level event since its inception. He added that students representing the university in national competitions would be awarded grace marks. A cash prize of Rs 10,116 has been announced for the winning team.

Former University Sports Board Secretary Dr N Srinivasa Rao, University Physical Directors Association President V Nageswara Rao, Secretary Dr BCh Sangeetha Rao, and others were present.