Johannesburg - As the curtain drew to a close at the Telkom Netball Championship (TNC), with three champion school teams crowned across three age categories - Gauteng Delta coach Jenni-Lee Delport has heaped praise on the tournament.
Delport and her charges won gold in the Under-17 division, with the Jaguars (Free State) grabbing silver as Ndlovu, from host province Mpumalanga, took home bronze.
Delport, who is no stranger to coaching, having coached Telkom Netball League (TNL) team for six years, made her TNC debut at the tournament held at Hoërskool Generaal Hertzog.
She brought to her team a wealth of technical knowledge and game ingenuity, as she mentored the next generation of young netball stars.
“To be afforded the opportunity to coach such talented young players at school level has been my favourite highlight of the 2022 TNC tournament, and for us all to stand side-by-side and sing our national anthem before taking court in the final will remain a special memory for many years to come,” Delport said.
Delport has seen it all during her illustrious career and as a coach who has led high-performance teams, she is acutely aware of what it takes to build a bustling developmental pipeline.
“Without sponsors like Telkom, tournaments like these would not be as successful nor influential in the development of the sport across the country. Much gratitude goes to the brand and all other sponsors, for being proud partners of netball in South Africa,” she said.
“This competition offers our girls the opportunity to fall in love with the sport, learning to compete against their peers, while also being inspired by the opportunity to be scouted by universities looking for new talent to join their ranks. This is motivation that we have seen raise the standard of competition and as a coach, it is beautiful to see.”
The conclusion of the Telkom Netball Championship means South Africa’s attention and that of the entire world is zoning in on SA as the final countdown to the 2023 Netball World Cup begins.
IOL Sport