The Telkom Netball League (TNL) is in its sixth season and over the years we have witnessed the growth of, not only the league but the sport of netball going through an evolution of its own.
The TNL has become a platform for some of the best players in the country to display their talents – many have been identified and picked to play for the national team, the SPAR Proteas and the Under-21’s – the Baby SPAR Proteas.
South Africa currently has total of nine players plying their trade in England and New Zealand and all of them have been part of the Telkom Netball League over the past six years.
During this period, we have also seen some of our global superstars coming back home to play in the TNL – Phumza Maweni, who is now the Assistant Coach for the Baby SPAR Proteas, returned home after a four-year stint in the Suncorp Super League in Australia, she joined the Southern Stings before hanging up her playing boots.
“Having had played with some of the best players in the world and in a professional set up, I can attest to the fact that the Telkom Netball League is just as competitive. I can safely conclude that we have the best semi-professional netball league, and we can be proud of what we have here. Others thought because I have all the international experience, I will just walk into the starting seven, I had to earn my place like any other player because it is that competitive. We can give a few teams in Australia and England a run for their money with our TNL teams,” said Maweni.
Another notable returnee to the Telkom Netball League is none other than Zanele Vimbela – she is coming back for the second time after two stints in England. She came back for the first time in 2020 and joined the Gauteng Fireballs after a year in the UK. She left shortly after the 2020 season and made a return to South Africa again in 2024 to join the reigning champions, Jaguars.
Vimbela said “It is good to be back and must admit that it is a different competitive environment – abroad we played weekly and here back at home we are playing daily, games are faster and one needs to adjust to it as quickly as possible, I think I have settled in though. There is a lot that we can do to improve the game and the format, for example play weekly and include gym and training sessions in between. This will help with keeping players well-conditioned. Hopefully as we turn professional, such things will be implemented. One thing that I think we should explore is more exposure to teams as well.”
Karla Pretorius, regarded as one of the best players in the world and who last played local domestic netball in 2016 when she represented the Free State Crinums, has also made a return back home after spending seven years in Australia in the Suncorp Super League.
“Coming back to wear the turquoise dress has been nothing short of amazing, it felt good doing that after an eight-year absence. Playing in front of a home crowd against South African players is just as great. I am thrilled to be back home, seeing how the game has evolved is utterly amazing. There is definitely a step up in competitiveness from when I last played in the TNL. But there is still a lot that needs to be done to improve it more. Competitiveness will improve as skill improves, intensity increases and matches becomes more clinical,” she said.
One piece of advice that Pretorius gave young players with aspirations of playing abroad is “focus on the here and now, be the best you can be in your environment, team and in the TNL”.
Over the past six years, Telkom’s contribution towards netball has been significant and enabled many young girls to fulfil their dreams and play netball at the highest levels. They have been able to dream, stand tall and realise what is possible for themselves.
Vimbela concluded: “Keep working hard, remain true and honest to what you do, there are a lot of opportunities that will knock on your door if you do that. Now more than ever, we have a lot of overseas based teams and coaches that have access to the TNL matches which is good so just keep working hard at it – remain disciplined and consistent.”
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