Daniëlle de Jonge chose to carve her own path rather than follow in her mother’s footsteps. The Paarl Gimnasium goal shooter and goal attack began her netball journey in primary school however, she also dabbled in hockey, a sport that her mother, Mariaan de Jonge, played in her younger days.
Her mother had hoped that another member of the family will continue with the hockey baton only for de Jonge to follow her heart.
“In primary school you can do anything, so I was played both hockey and netball. But then one day I told my mother that I think I shouldn’t play hockey anymore because I felt I had the natural talent for netball.
"She was sad that she doesn’t have a daughter who plays hockey. It was tough for her but because she wants the best for me she is supportive of what I do,” said De Jonge.
De Jonge is part of the Paarl Gimnasium team that won the 2026 DStv Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC), powered by Bestmed Medical Scheme.
TRIP TO THE UK
The Western Cape side didn’t only walk away with gold medals, but they also won themselves a trip to the United Kingdom where they will not only get to sightsee but also compete in a series of friendly matches including a match against the England Under-18 side.
Paarl Gim missed out on the gold medal last year after losing to Hoërskool Menlopark by one goal in a fiercely-contested Botho final. De Jonge said the team had to regroup and set new goals for 2026, one of them was to win their first DSNC title.
“At the beginning of the season we had a camp and from the beginning we had three goals, to win Wildeklawer, interschools and to win the DStv Schools Netball Challenge.
"From the beginning we were ready to redeem ourselves after the previous season, the trip was just the cherry on top. We wanted to redeem ourselves and to play our hearts out,” she said.
'EXCITED TO EXPLORE THE UK'
De Jonge said that, although it took a bit for the excitement to kick in, she is excited to explore the UK and test herself against other teams.
“It took a moment for it to sink in the day we won. We were on a high but I think after the exams it sank in that we are going to England. It was really exciting.
"I had never felt anything like that before and I am so grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
Although she hasn’t thought about the next steps in her netball journey, she said she will keep playing the sport for as long as she can.
“Netball is one of the biggest parts of my life but I think I don’t have a set plan for my netball after school. My biggest goal is that I want to study towards a medical degree and for that you need quite good marks so I am focusing on my academics.
"The netball will take me where it takes me but I will keep playing netball,” she said.