South Africa enjoyed a healthy amount of professional netball this season outside of the country. A total of 10 Spar Proteas took to court in the Netball Super League and the Suncorp Super Netball in the 2026 season and enjoyed varying results in the process. A total of three players, in both the United Kingdom and Australia, featured in the respective grand finals.
Kamogelo Maseko, Jamie Golob (nee van Wyk), and Sanmarie Visser made their debuts in the NSL2.0, while Elmere van der Berg swapped the UK, where she played for two seasons with Manchester Thunder, for Down Under to the SSN.
Khanyisa Chawane - Cardiff Dragons
Chawane’s season at Dragons went the way she had hoped. After two seasons of disappointing results, finishing in eighth position both in 2024 and 2025, the Spar Proteas captain was hoping for a better finish.
“This year was definitely a great season for us. I think the past two years that I've played for Dragons, we've had a lot of injuries and things that didn't help us progress, and we would end up last on the log. That's how they knew the Dragons team to be but I think this time around we were a different team. We just came out with a different type of hunger. I think a lot of work has been done. I think it was the mentality and learning how to win. It was really all about that, learning how to win and not being comfortable with losing,” explained Chawane.
Kamogelo Maseko - London Pulse
The quick-witted shooter enjoyed a successful debut season in the NSL. She competed in 14 matches, including the Major Semifinal and the Grand Final against eventual league winners, Thunder. Her side finished the regular season in second position after winning 12 of their round robin matches. Maseko managed a total of 157 goals.
Nicola Smith - Manchester Thunder
Unfortunately, Smith ended the 2026 season how she began her first season at Thunder, she was ruled out with an injury ahead of the major semifinal against Pulse. However, the gold medal around her neck should make up for her missing out on the Grand Final. The defender walked away with two accolades at her club’s end-of-season awards. She was named the Most Improved Player and Players’ Player of the Season. Smith has now won two gold medals in the NSL, first with Loughborough Lightning in the 2024 season and now with Thunder.
Ané Retief – Nottingham Forest
Retief played her first full season in the NSL2.0, playing alongside compatriot Streukter. Forest reached a playoff spot this season and fell in the Minor Semifinal to Lightning. She will return to Nottingham again next season.
Shadine van der Merwe – Loughborough Lightning
Although Van der Merwe missed out on the big title this season after her side lost a spot for a fifth consecutive Grand Final, after losing in the Preliminary Final to Pulse, the defender does walk away from the season with some silverware following Lightning winning the 2026 Soft & Gentle Netball Super Cup early in the season.
Jamie Golob – London Mavericks
After a stellar showing in the 2025 season in the Telkom Netball League, where Golob walked away with the Defender of the Season award, she attracted her first overseas contract. She says although it was difficult adjusting at first, she was able to finally settle in.
“I am not going to lie, it was very difficult in the beginning. I had just gotten married, and I was then straight into the test series, then I had to go overseas and play in a different part of the world. It was a difficult experience, but I learnt so much. I embraced those challenges. It was a move for my netball career and the netball was just on another level. The coaching staff, the resources that we had there, the structure, the analyst systems, everything, there was just on a different tier. It's just nice to see what a professional sport can look like. So yeah, it was an overall really good experience,” says Golob.
Sanmarie Visser - Leeds Rhinos
Visser had a tougher debut in the NSL2.0 than expected. Although her side had finished as last year’s silver medallists in the inaugural Netball Super Cup, they struggled in the league and finished last on the table with only one win from 14 matches.
Owethu Ngubane - Birmingham Panthers
The goal attack/ shooter got another taste of the NSL2.0 this season. She joined Birmingham Panthers for the second half of the 2026 season as a permanent replacement for Tiana Metuarau, who sustained an injury ahead of their round six game. On her debut for the Panthers, Ngubane was voted the Fans' Player of the Match. She played a total of six matches.
“Being back there was so special for me because days had gone by so fast that I thought I would not be going anymore. It was an honour and I was grateful to be called up to go represent Panthers. It was a good run for me. I feel like I needed it on my side as well to see where I am in my netball career and what I needed to do as an individual player. I think I have found what I needed. All glory goes to God for giving me the opportunity to go there and play my best netball,” says Ngubane.
Elmere van der Berg - Adelaide Thunderbirds
Van der Berg scored over 700 goals in the round robin in her debut season, an impressive start in the much-fancied netball league in the world. In the process, she claimed several Player of the Match accolades, including being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the semifinals.
She also went into the Thunderbirds' history books as she broke a club record for most points in a game (59). She was just as outstanding in the SSN Grand Final, scoring 50 goals out of 51 attempts in the match in which the Thunderbirds defeated Melbourne Vixens 61-40, to win her first SSN championship.