Johannesburg, South Africa – 2019 has been an exciting year in South Africa from a sporting front. Most of the country’s sporting codes are participating in their various world cup tournaments.
For netball specifically, this has been one of the busiest years for the sport as well as the federation. The INF in March awarded South Africa the right to host the 2023 Netball World Cup which will be staged in Cape Town.
Before South Africa can host the 2023 Netball World Cup, the SPAR Proteas will be partaking at the global showpiece in Liverpool from the 12th till 21st July 2019. South Africa’s head coach Norma Plummer knows the significance of the world cup and what it means as she has won it both as a player and as a coach.
Plummer who has been with the SPAR Proteas since 2015 understand how important it is for this team to do well at the upcoming 2019 Vitality World Cup and it is therefore critical for her to make sure that she chooses the best 12 players to represent South Africa at the prestigious global showpiece.
“Getting the best players to come with to Liverpool is very important and critical part of our preparations. I have worked with all SA based players during a week’s camp in Pretoria and I have assessed them again during the 2019 edition of the Telkom Netball League which is currently underway in Pretoria. I have also been working very closely with coach Dorette (Badenhorst) who is looking after the SPAR Smileys to make sure that we choose what we believe are the best players for this world cup,” says Norma Plummer – SPAR Proteas head coach.
I have spent some time also assessing some of the players that are plying their trades in England, New Zealand and Australia, this also helped us identify who we need and what value will they bring into the team especially when it mattered the most. Based on the data that I collected I was then better placed to make my decision with the assistance of the bench, concludes Plummer.
The twelve players chosen to represent South Africa at the 2019 Vitality World Cup are as follows:
· Lenize Potgieter (GS)
· Ine-Marie Venter (GS)
· Maryka Holtzhausen (GA)
· Renske Stoltz (GA)
· Erin Burger (C )
· Izette Griesel (C/WA)
· Khanyisa Chawane (C )
· Bongiwe Pretty Msomi (WA) Captain
· Shadine van der Merwe (WD)
· Karla Pretorius (GD)
· Phumza Maweni (GK)
· Zanele Vimbela (GK)
I am pleased with the team that Coach Norma has put together, I have full confidence in the coach, her technical bench and the players at large. I would like to wish them all the best. As a federation we have made sure that we give them everything that they need to well. I have always said that the mandate for the team is very simple and clear, we need a medal at the end of the tournament, says Cecilia Molokwane, Netball South Africa President.
The team will leave the county on the 27th of June for the Wales Series before they make their way to Liverpool for the World Cup. The Wales series will be used as preparation for the World Cup and also give the coach one last chance to prepare and get her team ready.
Mike Prentice, Marketing Executive of SPAR congratulated the squad selected. “SPAR are very proud of their Proteas team and have been encouraged by the team’s improvement over the past few years. We could not have asked for more from Norma and her girls, they have put in so much effort on and off the court and now pose a real threat to the powerhouses of world netball and have even beaten some of the higher ranked teams of late. This has assisted the SPAR Proteas build in confidence and as sponsors of the team we know they will go into Liverpool as real medal contenders and on behalf of SPAR and all the associated sponsors we wish the team well and assure them of our full support. Congratulations to each one of you on your selection, go to Liverpool and do yourselves, your team and the country proud.”
