Namhla Mbongendlu
WHO says men can’t play netball? Certainly not the East London Aloes, who may be the only men’s team in the East London Netball League but are just one of a number of men’s teams slowly gaining support in the Eastern Cape.
Although long considered a woman’s sport, men’s netball has been played in the Eastern Cape for many years, and finally East London has its own men’s team.
Aloes men joined the East London Netball Zone league halfway into the season last year as part of a Damelin team.
This year, the team changed affiliation and joined the Aloes Club.
Despite being a young team, the Aloes men had a good run last season, only losing in the final game to the mighty Spiders, a women’s team who have been playing in the league for more than five years.
While some critics laugh off men’s netball, supporters say it has plenty of merit, given that men can jump higher and generally play a faster game.
Aloes coach Wendy Higson said netball had been popular in the Nelson Mandela Metro region for a number of years.
“At first, when I was asked to coach a men’s team I was reluctant but when I saw them play I was impressed.
“They didn’t know all the rules but they learnt very quickly,” she said.
Higson added that male players had the advantage over their female counterparts, due to their physique.
“As ladies we have extra bits that men don’t have so it’s difficult for a woman to jump as high as a man or run as fast,” she said.
“Most times men don’t stop to think before playing a shot and handle the ball quicker.
“But the ladies’ game is totally different, ladies plan strategically in the maximum three seconds they have with the ball,” she explained.