The SPAR Proteas will kickstart 2026 with a SPAR Challenge three-test match series against Vitality Roses in January at Ellis Park Indoor Arena in Johannesburg.
The last time South Africa faced England at home was back in 2023 during the Quad Series in Cape Town before facing them again during the Netball World Cup in the same year at the same venue.
Head Coach Jenny van Dyk has already faced the Vitality Roses twice during the Netball Nations Cup in 2024 where she lost one 61 – 55 and won one 61 – 59.
“We are thrilled to host Vitality Roses for a test series on home soil this January. We look forward to welcoming fans to this competitive event. The players are hard at work preparing for this challenge and there are a few players that we are looking at that may be brought into the squad come January. The series will also assist us as we begin to build a team for Commonwealth Games and beyond,” said Jenny van Dyk, SPAR Proteas Head Coach.
The two nations will play each other between the 29th of January and 01st of February 2025 at Ellis Park Indoor Arena, with the English set to arrive in the country two weeks earlier.
As a build up to this series, the SPAR Proteas will travel to Lilongwe in Malawi to compete in the Africa Nations Cup from the 08th till 14th December 2025. The SPAR Proteas head into this tournament as African Champions and would want to defend their title and use this as a confidence booster going into the new year.
Mpudi Maubane, SPAR National PR, Communications and Sponsorships Manager said “SPAR are delighted to welcome England to our shores for the 2026 SPAR Challenge in January next year. As headline sponsors of the SPAR Proteas, we have always encouraged our national team to compete against the world’s top ranked netball nations to give themselves a chance of proving their worth and improving their world rankings.
"With England being ranked four, only one spot in the world ahead of South Africa, we can expect a tightly-contested three-test series in Johannesburg, which will give the local netball and sporting fans a chance of experiencing two of the best netball teams doing battle on home soil. This SPAR Challenge will no doubt encourage the development and promotion of the game at all levels.”
The SPAR Proteas will regroup and assemble camp early January in preparation for the series where van Dyk will confirm her final 15 player squad before tournament commences.
“It took us a while to get here and happy that we have been able to close this and confirm that we will be hosting England on home soil. It is always good to play nations that are ranked on top of us and this is important because we really would like to improve our world rankings and move up the ladder,” said Mami Diale, Netball South Africa President.