Proteas starts to get a taste of NSL 2.0

South Africa will see seven of its top netball players compete in the new Netball Super League in 2025.

The NSL 2.0 is the United Kingdom’s endeavour to achieve a professional setup for sport. 

The upcoming season has a reduced number of teams as well as players in the squads. 

There will now be two fewer teams participating in the competition, reducing the number from 10 to eight clubs.

Strathclyde Sirens and Severn Stars are some of the teams that will be missing out on the new NSL, these sides were home to Owethu Ngubane, Sigi Burger, and Lefebre Rademan respectively this season.

The 2024 season saw South Africa have a record total of nine players in the NSL, the highest number of players the country has had in one season.

Although some players have secured contracts in the new competition, some like Ngubane, Rademan, and Ine-Marí Venter will miss out on the UK’s top tier league.

Venter missed out on a contract after spending four seasons with the Saracens Mavericks. The club has also now rebranded and is referred to as London Mavericks.

Her exclusion from the new season was one of the least expected.

She made the top 10 goal scorers in the 2024 season, finishing in the seventh position with 550 goals. 

Ngubane should also be proud of her debut season in the league.

She secured 463 goals in the 18 appearances she made for Sirens. 

Her experience in the high intensity NSL will come in handy when she dons the green and gold again.

Khanyisa Chawane - Cardiff Dragons

The Spar Proteas captain makes a return to the Dragons.

The 2025 season will be her second with the team. In her first stint, the Wales side finished in sixth place after six wins from 20 matches.

Chawane was impressive in her first season with the club, she ended the season in the top 10 list for circle feeds. She is one of seven players from the 2024 Dragons squad that have been retained for next year. 

Shadine van der Merwe - Loughborough Lightning

Van der Merwe is one of the long-standing South African players plying their trade overseas.

Shasha moves from Manchester Thunder where she spent the last three seasons. She moved to Thunder in the 2022 season after spending three seasons Down Under with Adelaide Thunderbirds.

Van der Merwe has played in two Grand Finals with the Manchester side, in 2022 and 2024, against her new team and walked with the gold medal in her first season.

She was an important part of the team, and she was part of the leadership team as one of the vice-captains.

Nicholé Breedt - London Pulse

Breedt had an impressive first season in the NSL.

Out of her seven appearances for the club she managed to get 119 goals. 

Pulse finished third overall in the league after 18 matches. This was enough to send her side to the Grand Final semi-finals where they fell to Loughborough Lightning for a spot in the gold medal match.

Pulse finished the season with a win defeating Severn Stars to take the bronze medal in the 2024 season.

Rolene Streutker - Nottingham Forrest

Streukter will enjoy her first season in the United Kingdom.

She spent the 2024 season with the Melbourne Mavericks who were the new side in the Suncorp Super League.

They finished in fifth place missing out on finals in their debut year.

Streukter joined the team as one of the training partners for the season, but she managed to get some game time.

She to the Mavericks team of 10 to replace Sasha Glasgow. The South African international played in three matches. 

Elmere van der Berg - Manchester Thunder

Van der Berg experienced her first season in the NSL, and the goal shooter got a taste of the Grand Final in her debut season.

She also made the top 10 goal scorers of the season in sixth position with 570 goals.

Van der Berg will rely on her performances this year to help her increase her appearances from the nine to a bit more in the 2.0.

Nicola Smith - Manchester Thunder

Smith moves on to a new club for the new season.

Her previous side, Loughborough Lightning defeated Thunder in the Grand Final of the competition, becoming only the third team to win three or more NSL titles.

The goal defence gave a good account of herself this season making it into the top ten of the most intercepts and gains at number six and seven respectively.

She joins compatriot, van der Berg and becomes the third South African to don the yellow and black dress.

Sigi Burger - Birmingham Panthers

Burger will spot a new dress next season with the newly launched Panthers.

Her experience in the NSL and performances over the years was enough to score her a contract with the new side.

Burger moved to the UK’s league in 2018 where she signed with Surrey Storm where she spent two seasons before moving to London Pulse in 2020.

She later moved to Leeds Rhinos before she joined Severn Stars and played for two seasons.

Burger will be hoping to make an impact on the West Midlands side.

She played a big part in helping the Stars reach the top four of the log, she finished the league as the second top goal scorer with 767 goals behind Uganda’s Mary Cholhok.