NETBALL South Africa will be hosting a four day training camp for South Africa’s most talented young players at the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria from November 30 to December 4 to unearth new talent.
South Africa came fifth at the 2015 Netball World Cup and Netball SA is keen to continue its improvement across all its national teams and ensure that a steady supply of world class players are ready to enter the SPAR Proteas setup.
More than 80 girls in the age categories of 18,19 and 20 have been invited to the camp and according to the Netball South Africa director of selections, Christine du Preez, the team selected could potentially represent South Africa at the 2017 Youth Championships that will be hosted in Botswana.
“We are preparing ultimately for the 2017 Youth Championships however the team that will be selected still needs to qualify next year in July,” Du Preez said. “The camp will be educational promoting drug free sport and the girls will train in the morning and play matches in the afternoon.”
Du Preez says the selection team will be looking for disciplined players who can potentially play in the Fast 5, Diamond Challenge and for the SPAR Proteas.
The Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League stars and national team players Maryka Holtzhausen, Adele Niemand, Erin Burger and Phumza Maweni will be present at the camp assisting with the training and fine-tuning of the potential future stars. Such training camps have launched the careers of Proteas squad members including Rochelle Lawson, Izette Lubbe, Shadine van der Merwe and Mari-Lena Joubert.
Netball SA president, Mimi Mthethwa, said that it was vital that a world class talent identification system was put in place. “Netball internationally is growing at a frenetic pace and we have to ensure that we are right up there with the best in the world,” said Mthethwa.
“This camp is one part of a comprehensive talent identification and nurturing strategy that will ensure that SA produces the best netball players and highly competitive teams. We know that we have buckets of talent in communities across the country so it’s up to us as administrators to ensure that we help these young women realise their true potential.”
