The first Vitality Netball World Cup in Africa is almost upon us. The 19 April marks 100 days before the Cape Town International Convention Centre erupts with cheering from thousands of netball fans with the first centre pass of the tournament. The event takes place from 28 July to 6 August.
Over the last few months, the host city, Netball South Africa, and the Local Organising Committee have rolled out different initiatives, ranging from launches and mural unveilings to get South African citizens excited about what is coming to the country. The national Department of Sports led by Minister Zizi Kodwa launched the Netball Fridays initiative and will continue unveiling several activations around the country.
KwaZulu Natal Netball Federation has been quite active in the province as well, going from town to town to launch activations and fan parks by hosting various matches of the Super League in the different towns. Limpopo will host a mini World Cup for schools in the province, as part of their activation.
Local Organising Committee’s tournament director Priscilla Masisi encourages the masses to get themselves tickets for the global spectacle.
“This 100 Days to Go milestone will assist in providing all of us with an opportunity to encourage the 16 nations participating in the Vitality Netball World Cup 2023 to mobilise their supporters so that they can come and get behind their teams. We, therefore, encourage all of the supporters to buy their tickets to attend this first-ever Netball World Cup on African soil,” says Masisi.
HOST CITY
Cape Town is gearing itself for the biggest netball tournament in the world. The province has hosted a couple of netball events in the past and the city didn’t disappoint with its hospitality but the different venues also showed world-class capacity. The Velodrome in Bellville hosted test series between the Spar Proteas and Scotland in 2014 and then against England in 2019 The Cape Town ICC was also exceptional during the 2023 Quad Series, the first time the city hosted the competition since its inception. With the city being one of the most fascinating destinations for tourists in South Africa, the fans will surely have a good time when they are not at the venue or fan parks watching the tournament. In their efforts of taking netball and hyping up the World Cup to all parts of the Mother City, the City of Cape Town launched and unveiled several murals in townships such as Gugulethu and Khayelitsha. The first was to honour Proteas defender, Phumza Maweni, who runs a foundation that teaches girls that they can have better lives through sport but also helps them realise their dreams. The city has currently unveiled four of the eight murals planned for the rest of the province
SPAR PROTEAS
The senior national team seems quite sharp and ready for the tournament. The Norma Plummer-led side has been taking part in a series of training camps since late December in order to prepare for the global spectacle. The team hasn’t only been training but also getting opportunities to play against teams such as the ??? and in Australia and the Western Cape Southern Stings for the locally based players to give them the court time they need before a huge competition. Netball South Africa’s move to contract 24 players for the senior team was an important move for the sport, this helps the coaching staff have a bigger pool of players to select from. A good selection headache for the coaches.
SPONSORS
Having Discovery South Africa on board NSA is a massive move, especially for players. Before this health and insurance company signed with the federation, players who didn’t have medical aid would have to fend for themselves when they got injured. But now, on top of being contracted by NSA, players will not have to worry about hospital bills or physical therapy they would need thereafter. Vitality had already associated with netball worldwide, as the title sponsor of the World Cup but has also in the past been the sponsor of the Super Netball League in the United Kingdom, having a relationship with the local federation springs the hope that the company may in the future invest in local netball. Telkom and long-standing partner, Spar were announced as premier sponsors of the event, stamping their commitment to the game, having been part of netball for several years.
LAUNCHES
NSA’s bid to get people excited about the World Cup by inviting them to come up with a design for the mascot was a great move. The launches of the official match ball and the mascot were met with a buzz for the tournament. The vibrant Letsatsi, the meerkat, has since been seen at several events and bringing cheer. The excitement that the mascot brings serves as excellent marketing for the big event.