Images: Sporting Chance.
The streets of eight Cape Town communities turned into vibrant netball courts with the launch of Sporting Chance Street Netball, a regional programme that is part of the countdown to The Netball World Cup.
About 768 girls under 13 participated in the Street Netball’s inaugural center pass, which took place simultaneously in Grassy Park, Elsies River, Mitchell’s Plain, Khayelitsha, Langa, Mfuleni, Ocean View and Nomzamo. Sixteen teams of six players from each community participated in a series of round-robin matches in an adapted 5-a-side version of the conventional game.
Friday’s event marked the start of an eight-week Street Netball series where weekly matches will be played in each community, followed by the regional finals on 16 June, and culminating in the festival finale, which will coincide with the 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup (VNWC) as part of the exciting line-up of events planned around this international event.
Sponsored by the City of Cape Town and Sunbett Cares and endorsed by the Cape Town Netball Federation and Netball South Africa, Street Netball is an initiative conceived and co-ordinated by Sporting Chance.
The netball fraternity well-received the initiative, with the Cape Town Netball Federation (CTNF)giving it full backing. “Taking netball back to the streets and back to our community is an initiative I will always support as it allows us to change and invest in the lives of our little girls,” said Shannon Trouncell, assistant treasurer and MANCO member of CTNF.
“The street netball initiative is not only about the awareness campaign about the Netball World Cup. It is to reach that little girl and give her the tools to empower herself. The lifestyles workshop the girls took part in was the most valuable of the day. I always believe that if we can change the life of one of these ladies, we have done what we needed to.”
That was the purpose of the programme and of the organisers.
“Sporting Chance has advocated for years to get children back onto the streets to play sports. We have also been pushing for increased health education around the importance of playing sports and being active. We want the children to get out there and reclaim the streets – to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. This is especially important now with so many children suffering from mental health struggles after Covid,” said Brad Bing, managing director of Sporting Chance.
“It’s so exciting to present a platform like Street Netball that is getting these girls back onto the streets while teaching them life skills and guiding them towards future opportunities through the valuable lessons of sport. The joy this event brings to the children participating is just incredible, and we are so pleased that our supporting sponsors, the City of Cape Town Events and Recreation & Parks departments, and Sunbet Cares, share our vision.”
Life skills, talent nurturing and hope for the future
According to Sporting Chance, Emthonjeni Counseling and Training will be working with the girls to equip them with essential life skills. “In addition to this, SA netball icon Phumza Maweni and the Phumza Maweni Foundation, as supporting partners, assist in identifying netball players that display exceptional talent and flair and will mentor and mentor and mentor and monitor their netball progress going forward.”
Justin Palte, Head of Marketing at SunBet, added: “Street Netball has created an opportunity to build a positive future for young girls. It gives them an alternative to a sedentary lifestyle by focusing on sport, rather than getting caught up in negative activities often so prevalent in communities.”
City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, said the initiative forms part of the legacy the Netball World Cup should leave behind. “We believe that programmes like these are important for empowering young women and transforming communities.”
Edited by Nicklaus Kruger
