Netball South Africa has confirmed the Spar Proteas 15-member final team that will represent SA at the 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup that will be on home soil from 28 June to 6 August at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The naming of the squad was broadcast live at the SuperSport studios in Randburg on Friday night.
Coach Norma Plummer will lead her Spar Proteas to their second successive World Cup after doing so in 2019 and believes that she has selected the best players to represent the nation.
“We have been in camp since May 7, and I believe that we have worked very hard with the players at our disposal,” Plummer said.
“We have had some technical and tactical aspects of the game put to the players and at their game, we managed to get some practice matches as well so that, we are sure.
“We have chosen the best 15 players (12 traveling and 3 reserves), which we believe are the best options.”
👋 Meet your SPAR Proteas squad for the 2023 Vitality @NetballWorldCup 🇿🇦🏆#SPARProteas | #NWC2023@TelkomZA @My_SPAR @Vitality_SA @WorldNetball_ pic.twitter.com/N8mlCk6urK
— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) May 19, 2023
Plummer has been on camp with a group of local based players who are on a four-week hiatus break from the Telkom Netball League, while the overseas based players were not part of this camp due to commitments in their respect leagues abroad.
The team assembled at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sports, which has been their training base since last year and have worked very closely with the Australian mentor for her to finally select her team.
Netball SA president Cecilia Molokwane, who made the official announcement, said the team has been given all the support they needed in preparing for the global showpiece.
“As a federation, we have given Coach Norma and management team all the support they needed in preparing the best team for the World Cup,” Molokwane said.
“This will be for the first time in sixty years that a Netball World Cup is hosted on African soil, therefore our expectation for podium finish as hosts is a fair one.
“We can’t host and become spectators in our own backyard – we need to make sure that South Africa and other African countries make it to the podium come 6 August.”
The players are said to return to their respective domestic and provincial teams for the remainder of the league, which ends on the July 1 2023. They will meet again in Stellenbosch for the final stretch of the world cup preparations.
Spar Proteas final 15-member squad:
Bongiwe Msomi (Captain); Karla Pretorius (Vice Captain); Khanyisa Chawane; Izette Griesel; Owethu Ngubane; Refiloe Nketsa; Phumza Maweni; Lenize Potgieter; Lefebre Rademan; Nicola Smith; Jeante Strydom; Nichole Taljaard; Elmere van der Berg; Shadine van der Merwe, Ine-Mari Venter
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