The Northern Cape set the perfect backdrop for the last coaching clinics of the DStv Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC), powered by Bestmed Medical Scheme.
Friersdale Combined School and Hoërskool Aggeneys High School will represent the province, and they took part in the day-long training sessions led by the former Spar Proteas goalkeeper Phumza Maweni, held in Pofadder. It was the final installment of the four coaching clinics held around the country. Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State also held the session for DSNC national finalists.
Friersdale and Aggeneys will take part in the sixth edition of the tournament, which launched in 2021 and aimed at uncovering and nurturing young talent across the country while providing an equal footing for players from all backgrounds.
Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in Boksburg will host the 2026 edition from 23 to 25 July.
The competition is divided into two streams, Botho and Ubuntu, for schools in both rural and urban areas, providing an equal opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.
Friersdale’s Dominique Van Der Byl says that although the training program was tough, it was exciting to meet a Protea for the first time. The Keimoes-based side will be competing in its fifth national finals. The team will be hoping to improve on their 2024 best finish, which was eighth overall.
"It was really exciting meeting Phumza for the first time, also the first time meeting a Proteas player. The training was tough but she helped us a great deal. We truly appreciate the coaching session. I hope when we go to the nationals we are going to perform better than we have before. I am really hoping for the best," says Van Der Byl.
BIG ACHIEVEMENT
Aggeneys’ goal shooter Wernice Carstens says qualifying for the nationals for the first time is a big achievement for her school and community of Pofadder.
"I think she gave us a lot of wisdom. It was excellent meeting her. I think it is important to have clinics like this because we don’t get that much exposure. It will really help us. I feel excited about representing the province but also nervous at the chance of disappointing everyone. In small towns, when someone gets to things like this, there’s always eyes on them.
"Then you just get scared of disappointing them, especially with them motivating you. I think reaching nationals is already a really big deal for us. It would be nice if we can reach the finals, but to be realistic, we just need to focus on doing well in Boksburg," says Carstens.
Meanwhile, Maweni says hosting the coaching clinics across the four provinces has been fulfilling. The former Sunshine Coast Lightning star conducted the clinics, which included a motivational talk, life skills, tactics and technical training. She says the experience reminded her of her own journey in netball.
"Being a coach in this programme is rewarding for me. It reminded me that there’s talent everywhere. Talent isn’t only located in certain areas, all these kids need are opportunities, support and people who can believe in them. I think what we did well as a program was to create a space where they felt comfortable and expressed themselves. The DSNC is creating a good platform for these youngsters to showcase their talents and learn from others. We taught them about discipline, teamwork and leadership, those things also apply in life in general," says Maweni.
IMPORTANT PLATFORM
The Northern Cape round concluded the second annual edition of the clinics. Last year’s Ubuntu champions, Nomzamo Secondary School from the Western Cape, were beneficiaries of the clinics. Multichoice CSI Manager for Sports programmes, Sandile Luthuli
“The last week has shown us the need for developmental programmes like the Ubuntu clinics we do as the DStv Schools Netball Challenge across various parts of the country, especially in places that are far-flung like Pofadder as well as Vryheid. I think all four areas that we went to, which include Bethlehem and Mogaung Village, there is a desperate need for developmental programmes to assist schools and learners to raise their game and be competitive when they get to the nationals. This is a very important element of the DStv Schools Netball Challenge,” says Luthuli
The sessions also brought an important platform for the budding player to ask for advice on the next steps of their careers.
“My thanks go to our partners Bestmed Medical Scheme and our new partners that we have brought along this year, the Bongi Msomi Legacy Project as well as the Phumza Maweni Foundation. Bongiwe and Phumza are legends of the game and I think it greatly helped inspire the girls. They also gave them a safe space when they sat down and had the life skills sessions. Listening to some of the learners expressing themselves but also using these life skills as an outlet to vent, where they have issues in terms of their school work, where they want to take their netball careers.
These are important off-field elements. If a player's budding career isn't nurtured, they may not succeed. It was a good nine days doing these clinics. I wish these schools the best of luck when it comes to the nationals. I will be closely monitoring how their level of play has been raised,” he adds.