JOBURG – Lovers of netball can expect some brutal action once again as the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League season kicks off.
Sipho Siso
Joburgers who have developed a passionate love for netball will be disappointed to know that they will not be able to see various provincial teams in brutal, flashy action in this year’s season of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League.
Although the league kicked off last weekend in Durban, it will move around other centres of the country to enable the sport and games to be as widely representative as possible.
This year’s league will be played in Durban, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.
Gauteng Jaguars’ Tshina Mdau; defending champions Free State Crinums’ Alicia Puren; and former player and now coach of Limpopo Baobabs, Dumisani Chauke grace the launch of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League.
The league is the sport’s flagship competition in South Africa and underlines the phenomenal growth of the sport in recent years, and most importantly, the fourth edition of the tournament indicates another step towards the goal of a fully-professional netball league.
For the first time since its inception, this year’s champions will get to travel to New Zealand to compete in the Super Club Championships.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will afford players the experience to play at international level and further enhance their skills. The runners-up will walk away with a cash prize of R150 000.
As sponsors of the country’s first semi-professional netball league, Brutal Fruit, a brand of the South African Breweries (SAB), in partnership with Netball South Africa (NSA) has announced the introduction of the Brutal Fruit Study Programme, aimed at affording players within the league an opportunity to further their studies.
“This programme will ensure that empowerment of the players remains our priority and that we are constantly working towards ensuring that the players showcase their skills thus ensuring we develop fully integrated players,” said Kudzi Mathabire, marketing manager for Redds & Brutal Fruit at SAB.
Kudzi Mathabire, marketing manager of Redds and Brutal Fruit at SAB; and Netball South Africa president, Mimi Mthethwa at the launch of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League.
In addition to this, 10 coaches selected from all the provinces will be invited to participate in the NSA Level 2 coaching course which will be held later this year.
The competition once again pits 10 provincial-based teams against each other over eight weeks of intense competition. Cape Town is next to host the tournament with Bloemfontein to host the last three weeks.
Do you think the defending champions, the Free State Crinums, will make it four out of four in the season championships or which team will take the crown? WhatsApp your views on 079 439 5345.
