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Two more South African netball players – goal shooter Lenize Potgieter and goal defence Karla Mostert will feature in the prestigious Netball Superleague in England next year.
This after being signed by top side Bath, the most decorated Superleague team, which has won five championship titles out of the last nine.
The pair was excited about the news when contacted by City Press this week.
Mostert gushed: “It’s an opportunity that you dream of for a long time. Not every South African player gets an opportunity to play overseas. I look forward to playing there.”
An equally zealous Potgieter enthused: “It’s a huge privilege for us to learn different styles of playing and then come back to impart our knowledge to improve the standard of South African netball.”
She said she initially heard about her move before the 2015 Netball World Cup held in Australia in August.
The club made contact with her on Twitter before she received emails from the team manager and one from the coach.
“Our coach [Australian Proteas mentor Norma Plummer] told me that they saw me play at the European Championships before the World Cup and were quite impressed,” added Potgieter.
Mostert acknowledged the role played by current Proteas netballers who had made a name for themselves in the UK.
“I think we must thank the players who went before us. They have been good ambassadors and opened doors, not only for us but for future generations,” she said.
Those players are Proteas captain Maryka Holtzhausen, vice-captain and centre Bongiwe Msomi – who was signed by Surrey Storm – and goal defence Phumza Maweni, who played for Loughborough Lightning with Holtzhausen over this past season.
The players will travel in the new year for the Superleague, which starts in January and ends in May. Upon its completion, they will return home for the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League (BFNPL) season.
They will not be the only Africans in the Superleague, as Namibia and Uganda also have players participating.
The league boasts stars from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, England, Grenada, Wales and Scotland.
Netball SA CEO Blanche de la Guerre welcomed the latest developments, saying her organisation’s talent-identification programme was bearing fruit.
“We are very happy for all our players and it shows just how much talent we have in the country,” she said.
“We spend a lot of time on talent identification and developing our players, and such an honour means that our programmes are on the right track.”
She said that by being kept active for a longer period, the players would benefit immensely and increase their contributions to the national team, which is currently ranked fifth in the world.
“We are also happy that they are training regularly and, from November to December, are coming back to celebrate the festive season with their families before resuming in January,” she added.
“It’s a lovely opportunity to train with intensity and be on the court every day.”
De la Guerre added: “This opportunity is not only a great adventure for these players, but it will also provide them with much-needed experience when representing the Spar Proteas and their respective Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League teams.
“We wish them the very best.”
