A sizzling week of action is expected as the largest-ever Spar National Netball Championships, hosted by the City of Johannesburg, kick-off at Ellis Park Netball on Monday.
A massive total of 2 400 participants from 52 districts across the country are set to take part, with 10 teams contesting the senior A division where the Johannesburg team are two-time defending champions.
Playing alongside the seniors will be the country’s best under-21 players, with the Tshwane team looking to go back-to-back after taking the title in Rustenburg last year.
The Spar Baby Proteas (the national under-21 team) will also play in the senior A section of the championships as preparation for the Netball World Youth Cup to be contested in Gibraltar next year.
Captain of the Johannesburg side Didintle Keebine said her team were relishing the prospect of competing on home turf.
“We are definitely confident, but we are also very humble. Aiming to win it for the third time might be tough but we’re seeing it as motivation rather than pressure so we’re looking forward to it and the energy levels are very good,” she said, adding that there are several new players in the side. Those players include Keebine, who previously captained the Dr Kenneth Kaunda side.
FULL OF CONFIDENCE
The Tshwane under-21s are also full of confidence as they head into the tournament.
“It’s in our culture to win in Tshwane,” said coach Rozanne Matthyse. “We are ready for the tournament, we’ve prepared well for it, and being in December after all the other competitions finished, it just gave us a lot of time as coaches to prepare.”
The Spar National Netball Championships are usually played in August to coincide with Women’s Month but were postponed due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. That move brings a new challenge into play with temperatures of over 30 degrees expected in Johannesburg this week.
Both coaches said their sides have been training outside in the afternoons to ensure they’re well-prepared for the heat.
Speaking ahead of the largest tournament the sport has witnessed, the president of Netball South Africa, Cecilia Molokwane, thanked the districts for their hard work in growing the game and said: “124 teams – can you believe it? From 99 last year – what growth… something that has never happened before, so we are very happy as Netball South Africa.
“We’re very excited because more than anything it shows the growth of netball for me.
“It shows how people have started to embrace netball, to know and understand that netball is a career, that it’s something that your child can do and be in a safe space of playing and doing something that they love.”
The opening ceremony of the SPAR National Netball Championships takes place at Ellis Park Netball on Monday (16h00) and will include a special candle ceremony to commemorate World Aids Day, 16 Days of Activism, #ENDGBVF and International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
As part of the celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, four top deaf netball teams, Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and Northern Cape, will participate in their own tournament as part of the SPAR National Netball Championships for the first time.
Tickets for the games will be available online at shop@netball-sa.org.za as well as at the venue for R20. Safe and secure parking would be available at Ellis Park Swimming Pool for R10 per car.
Selected matches will be broadcast LIVE on SuperSport. Broadcast details to follow.