The District Netball League (DNL) will take place at the Woodmill Indoor Centre in Stellenbosch from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 February.
The round-robin tournament, which is sponsored by ClemenGold, aims to further develop high-performance netball players in the province, as an add-on to the already existing Western Cape competitions. In addition, the tournament places a significant focus on developing the social skills of players, the key word for the this edition flagged as “mental toughness”.
It incorporates the under-8 to under-14 age groups in the junior division as well as under-16 and under-18 age groups in the senior division. Two of the participating teams, Aramex Eagles and In2ution Falcons, are from Stellenbosch.
Serving as a stepping stone to identifying talent within the province’s competitions, the DNL pushes netball one step closer in becoming a professional one. Tournament spokesperson Charlotte Scholtz, who will also serve as technical director for the 2023 Netball World Cup, said such tourneys extend the reach of the game even further through community visibility.
“In addition, it supports local clubs while giving access to smaller clubs too,” she said. “Hundreds of players and administrators will be exposed to a top-notch tournament in which they are not only encouraged to play, but also to learn from administratively. The inclusion of our Telkom Netball League players once again further enhances the level of netballer coming out of the Western Cape Netball Federation.”
Bennie Saayman, president of the Western Cape Netball Federation, said players are hungry for competition. “This district club weekend competition is an add-on to our existing Western Cape competition programme. The fact that teams will again be supported by a sponsor is a huge bonus to players.
“This competition ensures progress in all areas of the game, and not only the players benefit from this competition, but the support staff as well. Coaches are challenged with combinations according to their opponents and technical staff need to understand procedures while courtside, which is vital and goes a long way to strengthening our system.”
DNL founder Freda Kemp recently submitted her PhD on creating activity profiles on high-level netball players using GPS data. In partnership with Ready Room, the screenings will give athletes more accurate and personalised information about their true physical state.
Ready Room is South Africa’s only provider of a complete range of scientifically proven, practical and affordable solutions that address all aspects of how the body and brain function together to provide optimal, overall health and wellness.
“To see how such information marries with GPS data will be a new research direction,” said Kemp. “We want to use the ClemenGold DNL to expose players to technology and feed their want for more – a greater performance on and off the court.”
This year the tournament will also partner with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa as social impact partner. Globally, Laureus supports programmes that use sport as a tool for social change.
Marlene Coetzee-George, CEO of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa, said: “As a Laureus movement we are passionate about our founding belief that sport has the power to change the world. We value this opportunity to come alongside DNL to witness how the participation of these young players in the netball tournament will launch them onto a winning path, both on court and in life. When we combine our efforts to remind these young netball players how resilient they are, then #EveryoneWins.”
Players will not pay to play and DNL thanks ClemenGold, which sponsored an impressive prize purse, as well as the partnership of their projects and partnerships in place at grassroots level.
Successful relationships such as this serve as a stepping stone towards the Netball South Africa vision of making the game fully professional.
The participating teams are: Ramble Swifts (Paarl); Aramex Eagles (Stellenbosch); Prinro Penguins (West Coast); Support Active Blue Birds (Durbanville); Faircape Blue Cranes (southern suburbs); Best In Sea Hawks (Cape Town); In2ution Falcons (Stellenbosch); Chargo Larks (Eden district); Cell C Robins (Central Karoo); and University of the Western Cape.
