A wasted opportunity: SA slipped up as hosts of the Netball World Cup

Not that they didn’t produce any excitement at the tournament, because they did, but based on the expectations placed on them, the Proteas’ campaign at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town was a relative flop.

And it’s hard not to think that the chance to host the first edition of the showpiece in Africa fizzled into a wasted opportunity.

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Considering they haven’t earned a medal at the World Cup since 1995, and they entered the competition ranked fifth in the world, it might seem unfair to have expected too much from the national team. But they had a very experienced side and they were guided by Norma Plummer, the best coach in the global game.

Even Netball South Africa president Cecilia Molokwane voiced her confidence that enough had been done to prepare the Proteas squad to challenge for a podium place.

The Proteas, however, were ultimately disappointing as they settled for sixth position – their worst result at the netball showpiece since 2007.

In a week which saw Banyana Banyana competing in the last 16 at the Fifa World Cup – a brilliant result in the world’s most popular sport – the Proteas fell short  in a code which is only really played by Commonwealth nations.

They were incredible against defending champions New Zealand in the second round, playing to a draw, but they lost to Jamaica in the first round and went on to lose to Uganda in the playoffs – a country with 11% of our GDP which simply doesn’t have the resources we have to compete in international sport.

Late commitment

Closing out the tournament, President Cyril Ramaphosa insisted government was going to open a netball arena to give the game a boost. But that should have been done four years ago when the country won the bid to host the tournament.

A world-class netball arena would, of course, form part of the legacy of the event, but why wasn’t it built in advance?

Whatever happens from here on out, it does feel like a chance to really promote the sport was wasted, in just about every way.

Next time we win a World Cup bid, we need to do better and take full advantage. Otherwise, what’s the point?