Spar Proteas goal attack, Nichole Breedt, née Taljaard, is basking in the growth she experienced in her first season playing netball overseas.
The vibrant attacking player spent a season in the Netball Super League (NSL) in the United Kingdom, where she played for London Pulse. Her side finished third in the league but fell in the semifinals against Loughborough Lightning for a spot in the Grand Finale. They beat Severn Stars to take the bronze medal in the 2024 season.
“It was an amazing experience, but I had to adapt. I think because I have played in the Telkom Netball League for about seven years, I was used to how things ran. When I went over to the UK I had a lot of expectations. I thought the league was so big, everyone wants to go play there, it’s professional and we are getting paid to do this and it was lovely. Where I was in London with Pulse, it is so big.
Everyone is far from each other and we only had two trainings a week and got together twice for gym. I was used to being close to my team, we could train so much more and see each other a lot more,” says Breedt.
She reckons the country’s TNL is not too far from the NSL and can improve to get to a more professional setup. Having the league run longer and will give the teams and players more time to work on tactics and technical ability to ensure the best netball is displayed in every match.
“I realised that the level of intensity and play is similar to what we have in South Africa. As much as it was a lovely experience and nice to be in a professional environment, it is nice to see that South Africa is also doing well with the TNL and that we are on par with the league that pays players in the UK.
I also love playing with the international players, seeing how they play and how we level up to them,” she says.
Breedt says putting in extra work from the team is quite important to help a player stay competitive while improving on their game.
Breedt spent some time with Sunshine Coast Lightning following the wrap up of the NSL. Although understands that her time in Australia was not really an opportunity to find a new home for the next season, she however appreciates the lessons she took from the three-week training with the two-time Suncorp Super Netball champions.
Both Breedt and Proteas' goal defence, Jamie van Wyk got to train with Lightning until they fell off towards the end of the season where they finished fourth. Lightning was home to the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup Player of the Tournament, Karla Pretorius from 2016 to 2023.
The former Gauteng Jaguars star says the opportunity was too great to pass on.
“That was honestly the biggest blessing and opportunity that could have ever happen to me. Towards the end of my season in the UK, my agent went to Australia looking for opportunities for all the athletes in the system and seeing where there is a space.
They met up with a few coaches, Lightning reached out to the agent and asked if Jamie and I would like to train with the team. It had nothing to do with the team’s contracts but it was just a training opportunity and for us to experience their training environment, what they do in the team. In Australia, their netball is an 8am to 5pm job for them and I think that was cool for me to see how much work I need to put in,” she explains.
Although she dreams of playing Down Under, Breedt says she will keep improving her game in the meantime.
“Most of the teams are solidified and some of the players have signed two-year contracts last year already. Jamie and I went knowing that there weren’t any spots available for us for next season. We took it as a training opportunity and not so much as trials.
I am hoping to eventually get a taste of the SSN one day just knowing how professional and how hard they train. It’s a good growing opportunity for me and my netball. It is something I can bring back and improve on a lot of things I want to do on the court,” she adds.
The Proteas gathered for a training camp under coach Jenny van Dyk and assistant, Zanele Mdodana to build up towards the test series between South Africa and Malawi in September. Breedt says all the players have pulled up their sleeves and are putting in hard work in the senior team.
“I was so surprised at how serious everyone was in camp. This is the type of environment where every session on the court and every talk we have with the coaches, we are building towards something. Everything we are doing on the court is for a purpose.
We’ve had a few meetings with the coaches and you can see the passion the coaches have, not only for the team but for every single player and our future in netball as well. You can see they are working hard, not only for themselves but for us players as well to be the best we can be. We are here for a reason and everyone is working so hard,” she says.