Feel it, it is here! Well, almost ... Today marks 100 days to the Netball World Cup in Cape Town and the team has been hard at work preparing for the tournament.
In March the team released the kit that they will don during the tournament and captain Bongi Msomi was more than thrilled with the attire saying the team looked like warriors.
And warriors is what they will have to be come July. The team is optimistic in the lead up to the World Cup despite their recent form.
In the Quad Series earlier this year, where they took on the top nations in England, Australia and New Zealand, formed part of their preparation for the event. However the Proteas weren’t able to win a game, finishing with three loses and a 46-46 draw with the third-ranked English.
1⃣0⃣0⃣ 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗢 'til the 2023 @NetballWorldCup 🏆🌍🇿🇦
📅 28 July - 6 August 2023
🏟️ @CTICC_Official
🎟️ Tickets Now Available https://t.co/xpAGXSpyil#SPARProteas | #VNWC2023 | #PutYourHandsUp@Vitality_SA @TelkomZA @My_SPAR @SportArtsCultur @CityofCT @WesternCapeGov pic.twitter.com/DZvNljBlYi
But like coaches love to say it’s not results that matter. The South African may not have been able to get a victory but the fact they were able to pit themselves against the best teams can only help as they look to make the country proud at the World Cup.
According to Netball SA president Cecilia Molokwane, everything is currently on track and everyone can be at ease with how well things are going on the organising front.
One thing about Capetonians is that we will come out in our numbers when it comes to international tournaments and the home crowd will be very important for the hosts in their bid to bag wins.
I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘2020-She’ in reference to 2023 being the year women’s sport will shine.
There are various local and international events taking place in 2023, South Africa recently staged the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, while there is the Women’s Ashes to look forward to and let’s not forget the Women’s Football World Cup in New Zealand that starts a week before the Netball World Cup is set to begin.
So women’s sport and the the Proteas will certainly in the spotlight.
One person who will hope that her team can pull of a surprise will be Msomi, who will want to end her World Cup career with a bang
When I chatted to her earlier this year she said that 2023 will be an important year not just for netball but all of women’s sport.
“We speak about women empowerment, we speak about women being put up front, women being able to change things, deserving a lot more and I like that this year is speaking more to that and also being part of that.”
It’s about time women in sport got recognised and it’s wonderful to see the changes that are coming in to place as the work continues for sport to become fully inclusive.
@AliciaPillay56