Indian players target next Netball World Cup
WILL Indian South African’s make the 2023 Netball World Cup squad in Cape Town? That’s a question Nisha Roopnarain, is hopeful about.
“There’s a strong possibility this could happen,” said Roopnarain, the SA netball team manager, hours after the squad arrived in South Africa last week.
South Africa reached the semi-final of the recently-held world cup in Liverpool, England.
They lost to Australia 55-53.
In the third and fourth play-off, England defeated SA 58-42.
The national team has never had an Indian South African player.
Roopnarain, 52, of Chatsworth, a teacher at Wingen Heights Secondary School, said she had seen potential among Indian South African netball hopefuls in Chatsworth.
“I’ve seen talent in the Chatsworth league and I’ve no doubt an Indian player will be in the squad in 2023. There’s a lot of hunger and talent out there.”
Roopnarain, who is also the director of coaches in KZN, said the players, however, needed to “put in the hard work” to reap the rewards.
She has been involved with netball for almost four decades – moving up the ranks from a player (KZN colours) and administrator to the national team manager.
“Today the girls are lucky they have experienced coaches to guide them. Back then, we didn’t have that. I feel that prevented me from going a step further to the national level.”
Roopnarain said many Indian women lost interest in the sport after a certain age.
“Most of the girls who make their way up the ranks get married and that gets in the way of their sporting careers. Their priorities change. They get married and start families.
“Also, they have to hold down jobs because netball doesn’t sustain them financially. There have been many instances where the girls at the local level missed matches and practice due to work responsibilities.
“If there were more sponsorship deals in netball, the players would take the sport more seriously. The three teams that placed ahead of us – New Zealand, Australia and England – get paid to play.”
The president of the Chatsworth Netball Union League, Maggie Govender, said the 20-year-old league was producing a better standard of player.
“Our coaches only began to receive training from certified netball officials from the eThekwini Metro Netball Federation four years ago. The process of getting Indian girls to the top will take a bit more time.”
It has 37 teams in the junior and senior leagues. The matches are held on Saturdays at the Chatsworth Oval.
A goal defender in team Yolandau, Yevashnee Danielle Naicker, 23, said netball should be treated like soccer.
She explained: “In soccer, we are ranked 70th in the world and yet so much money is pumped into the sport. In netball, we have just placed fourth and the girls can’t play full-time.”
Naicker, an employee at a bank, said she would quit her job if she was paid to play netball.
The Chatsworth resident, who made the KZN squad in 2017, said members of her family played netball “so the passion for the sport came naturally”.
KZN selector Joseph Paylor Ka-Mhlongo, said there were strict criteria when selecting playings to progress to the next level.
“We look at the attitude of the player, the mental fitness, and the player’s understanding of the game.”
He said to stand a chance of being selected for the province, women were encouraged to attend the trials in June/ July.
“But only a few Indian girls came to these trials.”
KaMhlongo said now that the Chatsworth league was “buzzing”, he expected things to change.
The chairperson of the eThekwini Metro Netball Federation, Gugu Ngema, said they had adequate measures in place for the World Cup in 2023.
“Our current national captain, Bongiwe Msomi, comes from our famous province KZN, so we’re trying our best to ensure we produce more top quality players.
“This will be done by ensuring that every coach in this region has adequate training before teaching the girls.”