Netball fever sweeps across SA as world cup starts
Netball fever began early as local school Durban Girls' High School hosted an English team on tour ahead of the Netball World Cup.
AS the 2023 Netball World Cup begins today, July 28, local school Durban Girls’ High School has already gotten into the netball spirit as they hosted Woodhouse Grove School from Leeds in England for a few friendly games on July 24.
In a heated first-team game, the Leeds school snatched up a 23–18 victory over Durban Girls’ High School. Woodhouse Grove School will go on to tour South Africa, playing various schools on their way to Cape Town where the 2023 Netball World Cup takes place from July 28 until August 6.
This is the first time the cup is hosted on African soil since the tournament started in 1962 in England. In the build-up to the tournament, South African Netball president Cecilia Molokwane called on South Africans to support the South African national netball team which will be competing against 16 countries.
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“It’s time for Africa and South Africa to shine. It is time for South African netball to shine. It is time for women to shine and the SPAR Proteas to shine. They can only shine if all of us are behind them,” Molokwane said.
The City of Cape Town will establish a Fan Park outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre where netball fans can watch matches on a big screen, enjoy live entertainment, play games and enjoy a family environment for the duration of the Netball World Cup.
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“Sixteen counties in the world will be competing for this prestigious trophy to become world champions, and we know that the SPAR Proteas will make sure this trophy does not leave these shores and stays in South Africa. We are the only continent in this competition that has four countries competing,” she said.
Molokwane said the Netball World Cup dates were chosen as a nod to Mandela Month and Women’s Month.
She made these remarks during the 2023 Netball World Cup activation at the Forum of the South African Directors-General (FOSAD) at Mount Grace Hotel and Spa, in Magaliesburg, a week before the beginning of the 2023 Netball World Cup.
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