Netball ready to transform
Aim is to get 7 players of colour for Proteas
After it was found to have slacked with regard to transformation, Netball SA (NSA) has promised to conform to set targets in two years’ time to ensure the sport is reflective of the country’s demographics.
Netball was severely criticised for failing to transform and, surprisingly, was banned from bidding to host international events following an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) report commissioned by the sports ministry.
As the Spar national championships kicked off in Durban yesterday, NSA president Mimi Mthethwa-Zulu said lessons had been learnt and that the sport would comply by 2019.
“We actually made a mistake of assuming every school in the country had netball, only to find that’s not the case,” Mthethwa-Zulu said.
“We have since gone back to ensure that we up our game at grassroots level.”
The 36 teams (18 U-21 and 18 senior) taking part in the national championships at the Hoy Park Sports Complex have been told to adhere to transformation targets based on provincial demographics.
“We didn’t want to stipulate numbers but when, for instance, you’re in KwaZulu-Natal, you should get a team with a mixture of all races without compromising quality. In particular, we want to see more Indian players from KZN. We told Western Cape we want to see more coloured players,” Mthethwa-Zulu said.
She hopes this will help up the numbers in the national side, whose players have been excused from the championships in Durban to avoid injury ahead of trips to New Zealand and Fiji.
“The aim is to get seven players of colour in a [national] squad of 15 by 2019. But we want them there on merit. We don’t want to be seen as just pushing the numbers. We have talented players throughout the country, they just need opportunities.”
Selected results from day one: North West 45, KZN 40; Free State 43, Eastern Province 21.