SA Schools Netball secretary, Ronelle Nell says they are expecting huge battles on the court when the Gauteng leg of the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC) takes place on Saturday. Hoërskool Florida in will host 25 schools that will battle for places to represent the province at the national finals set for 12-13 July.
The DSNC is a partnership between Multichoice, South African Schools Netball, and the Department of Basic Education that offers a platform for players from all schools (urban and rural areas) to get to experience the sport on the same level.
The competition starts from the district level up to the national. It is divided into two streams, Botho and Ubuntu, which offer an opportunity for both privileged and disadvantaged schools to go to the top of the competition.
There are six spots up for grabs in Gauteng. The pool stages will see teams from both streams playing against one another before separating into their respective divisions. Nell says they are expecting all the participants will bring their A-game.
“We are extremely excited. It is always a privilege to showcase excellent netball on our courts. We have tough competition in Gauteng and we are looking forward to watching the best schools in the province. We have quite a wealth of schools coming through,” says Nell.
The 2023 Botho division winners, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria, will be one of the schools vying for the spots to represent Gauteng at the nationals. Nell reckons Gauteng has some of the most competitive schools in the country.
“I am always hoping that there is another Gauteng school that takes over the throne and someone else comes in. Everybody puts them out there as some of the best teams because they know that they can make it. Our schools have made it before. The pressure is on but it will be good to see how things go,” she says.
Nell says she is also impressed by the improvement shown by the teams in the Ubuntu stream and she is hopeful that the province will get the best possible representatives for the nationals.
Meanwhile, Laerskool Kragbron in Emalahleni will host the Mpumalanga edition of the competition. The tournament will see 20 schools battle it out for four spots to represent the province in the nationals. While 21 schools in KwaZulu Natal will gather in Kingsway for their provincial finals.