SPAR uplifts women in sport
This year, SPAR KZN celebrates five years for their netball tournament, 15 years for the hockey challenge, and 35 years for the Durban Women's race.
TIPPING off the sporting year for SPAR KZN, the first of 10 hockey tournaments takes place at Curro Hillcrest with the Highway Regional on Saturday, March 8.
The successful SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge began in 2011, a vision of tournament director Les Galloway from SchoolGirlSport.
As SPAR KZN continues to proudly uplift women in sport in 2025 with their commitment to women’s athletics, schoolgirls’ hockey and netball in the province, celebrating incredible milestones, Menelisi Luthuli, marketing director for SPAR KZN, said they are referring to 2025 as their ‘big five’ year.
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“The year is 2025 and we are applauding five years for our netball tournament, 15 years for our hockey challenge, and 35 years for our Durban Women’s race.”
Celebrating 35 years, the renowned Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge is diarised for Sunday, June 22. The inaugural race that began in 1990 had a small field of 2 200 participants.
Following a start on the then-NMR Avenue, outside Kings Park Athletic Stadium, Colleen de Reuck historically broke the tape on the athletic track in an impressive time of 34.16.
Currently, Namibian Helalia Johannes holds the fastest 10km time, blitzing her way around the new fast, flat Durban route in 31.18 in 2019.
Over the 34 years, the women’s race has enjoyed encouraging 369,406 participants to share their morning running around Durban’s scenic spots.
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Fifteen years later, the SPAR hockey tournament has had 130 victorious teams hoist their trophies after their regionals. The tournament is split into 10 regionals with a grand final rounding off the annual challenge.
The newest addition to the KZN sporting stable, leading up to the 2023 Netball World Cup held in Cape Town, SPAR KZN and SchoolGirlSport created the only Fast 5’s tournament in the province for schoolgirls. In 2019 the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge was launched.
Beginning with only four tournaments, it quickly grew to seven after its well-received inception. Expanding to eight tournaments in the challenge’s fourth year, the Fast 5’s Challenge is looking forward to continue growing this year.
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