A year after being part of the history-making Zimbabwe Gems team during the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool, Felisitus Kwangwa packed her bags to return to the British shores, this time as a professional plying her trade in the Vitality Netball Super League with Surrey Storm.
Kwangwa caught the eye of the scouts with her match-winning performances receiving two Player-of-the-match awards at Netball’s biggest showpiece and, in the process earning the nickname Minister of Defence.
The Gem’s captain took time off her busy schedule and spoke to EnterSportNews as she reviewed her first season in the Vitality Netball Superleague with two games to go before the playoffs that will see the 2021 champions crowned.
It was a season of adjusting to her new surroundings and familiarizing herself with the way her new team, Surrey Storm, plays.
“The adjusting process is quite a long process and a gradual one at the same time. Step by step, I am getting there,” said Kwangwa with a smile.
In her voice, you can sense pragmatism when she talks about the adjusting process.
“I am getting used to everything, and I can say I am quite comfortable around my teammates, comfortable with the type of play my coaches want. The process wasn’t really easy, but I am quite okay with it. I don’t have much to complain about.”
Netball is generally considered to be a non-contact sport, but fair contact that is simultaneous is allowed.
Umpires love blowing against defenders for contact, and if the ball is in the shooting circle, contact is bound to happen, but most of the umpires will blow against the defenders even if it is not her fault.
But no matter how many times they are called for obstruction or contact, they keep on trying. In her first full game against Leeds Rhinos, you could see that Kwangwa has added some intelligence to her game, and she is now winning those marginal calls that usually go against defenders.
She was naturally elated that she managed to get her first start of the season and played the whole match.
“I feel good. As a player, it’s quite hard to improve if you don’t get court time. So I am glad that I managed to get a start and finish the whole game. Hopefully, it’s the beginning so that I can implement what I have been taught in training,” added the defender.
The 26-year-old Njube born became the first Zimbabwean to join UK’s top-level, elite netball competition, The Vitality Netball Superleague, which features eleven teams from England, Wales and Scotland.
Those that have played alongside Kwangwa will tell you that she is competitive by nature, vocal on the court and has an insatiable desire to win matches.
However, in her first season at Surrey, victories have been hard to come by, Storm found the going tough this season, winning two and losing sixteen games. Only Celtic Dragons have the worst record in the Superleague, anchoring the log with just one win.
Fortunately for Kwangwa and her teammates, no team will be relegated at the end of the campaign.
Storm won back to back titles in 2015 and 2016, and bringing internationals like Kwangwa to South East England is a statement of intent to build a team for the future that will dominate the elite netball division again.
In all the defeats that Storm suffered, the matches against Loughborough and Leeds highlight Kwangwa’s season as she feels she put up her best performances.
“The highlight of my season has to be my first game against Loughborough during the first round and the last one against Leeds despite us losing both games. But as a player, I was able to give it my all and show people what I am capable of,” said the goal defence player.
No matter where you come from, once you have signed a professional contract, there is added pressure for you to perform, especially if you are the captain of a national team like Kwangwa.
She had to rejig her game to suit the style of play of her new team.
“The thing is that I have been adjusting to almost everything. The type of play at Surrey is different to what I was used to. It was quite hard for me. Fifty per cent of my game has changed because I had to adjust so that I can fit into the type of play here,” she said.
Kwangwa’s new home, Surrey County, has been featured in a whole host of blockbuster movies, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Holiday and the James Bond film Skyfall, among others.
In her first season at Surrey, the Minister of Defence has been playing cameo roles. Towards the tail end of the season, she has started featuring more and hopefully, next season, she will play a starring role in the Surrey movie, which should be called “The Return of the Champions” if they win the title next season.
The phrase “here if you need” is used a lot on the court by netball players, be it the mid-courters backing up the shooters or the defenders on the third line backing the attackers. Netball players always have each other’s back.
It is no surprise that Kwangwa has settled in nicely at Surrey Storm because her teammates have her back, and she is enjoying life in southeastern England and does not feel homesick. Her parents have been her biggest cheerleaders throughout her career and are the only people she is missing for now.
“I don’t even feel homesick at all. I miss my parents but not yet homesick. I am enjoying my stay here, and I am having a great time. I am still okay,” quipped the GD.
The former Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service player landed her first biggest endorsement as a professional netball player when she was made an ambassador for Gilbert Netball.
Many in Zimbabwe follow her progress with keen eyes, and players now use Kwangwa’s story for inspiration.
“Keep on doing what you love, do it to the best of your ability and be patient because things don’t always work according to your plans. Always wait for your time, and whenever you get your chance, make use of it,”
Felisitus Kwangwa -aka- “Minister of Defence”
It’s so easy for everyone to see Kangwa as one of the poster girls of Gilbert Netball brands, but her story goes beyond that. She had to endure on the sidelines and waiting for her chance.
“Patience is very important. Not all international players move to a new team and become the first option, especially in your first year or season. Some are very fortunate that they slot into the starting lineup straight away. But if that’s not the case, you just have to patient and continue to work hard. Your time will come, and whenever you get that opportunity, you just have to play like it’s your last day on the court,” added Kwangwa.
“Sometimes, when you are just starting for a new team, the fans get excited, and most of the time, you get good positive comments. Patience is key if you are a player because not everything goes your way or according to your expectations. You have to keep on grinding until you get where you want to be.”
Surrey Storm is trying to win their last two games and give themselves a chance to end up in the top eight, giving them a chance to play in the Fast5 competition, which is a season opener.
Fast5, like cricket’s T20 competition, is a variation of Netball featuring shortened games and goals worth multiple points. It is played just as a pre-season tournament just before the commencement of the Vitality Netball Super League.
As Kwangwa looks back on her first season, she will do so during her first English summer, joining Surrey at the height of winter.
“Oh yes, summer is here; in the last week or so, we have been having temperatures in the region of 20 to 23 degrees. The weather was so good to such an extent that I could move around without my jumpers. I can’t wait to go to the beach and have some fun because I need to refresh as well,” she signed off.
