100-day countdown for Netball World Cup begins
The Telkom Netball League will serve as an appetiser for netball fans ahead of the Netball World Cup in July.
POLOKWANE – Last Wednesday marked 100 days to the first match of the Netball World Cup that will be hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from July 28 to August 6.
Sports MEC, Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana joined by Basic Education MEC, Mavhungu Luruli Ramakhanya, and representatives of Netball South Africa, the Polokwane Municipality and the Sports Confederation led the provincial Netball World Cup 100 days countdown through a mini-world cup at the Ngoako Ramathlodi Indoor Sports Centre in Seshego last week.
Sixteen netball teams from all districts of the province participated in the opening matches to celebrate this milestone.
Sibanda-Kekana encouraged those in attendance to continue wearing the Netball Friday T-shirts in support of this prestigious tournament.
“Let us continue to observe netball Fridays as we did with the Fifa Soccer World Cup in 2010. Cape Town is here in Limpopo today, and may the best team win.”
She said the Department of Sport supports the construction of Combi Courts, built from the R10m Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), as opposed to building one facility worth R10m per financial year.
“Municipalities should be able to cover more areas and involve more citizens in the various sporting codes. While we have the Netball World Cup in sight, let’s maximise the microscope placed on these Combi Courts, in support of the very World Cup for the first time in 60 years, a female sporting code is hosting a prestigious World Cup on African soil. This is a milestone,” she said.
She said she is very proud that three players are from Limpopo, Boitumelo Matlhoko, Khanyisa Chawane and Lenise Potgieter.
“Sport and development initiatives were previously strongly driven by civil society. However, the District Development Model (DDM) seeks to ensure that local government is capacitated and transformed to play a developmental role and is committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives. Netball development will follow these footsteps,” she explains. She called action hub coordinators to ensure that young girls engage, whether through active recreation or competitively, in netball.
Netball SA vice president, Mami Diale said Netball SA is ready to host the first-ever 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa.
“We are saying we are ready as South Africans, what we are pleading for is support. We want as much support from the government. We want to fill up the City of Cape Town. It’s a good feeling to be in Limpopo because the president of Netball SA, Cecilia Molokoane hails from Limpopo and we saw it fit that Limpopo must also celebrate 100 days counting as well as hosting the Mini-World Cup..”
She invited Limpopo residents to join Netball SA in hosting the Telkom Netball League from April 26 to May 1 in Seshego.
