Local netball star joins the Adelaide Thunderbirds
A local netball pro was recently drafted into the Adelaide Thunderbirds to play in the ANZ Championship League in Austalia and New Zealand.
The Spar Proteas and Gauteng North star goalkeeper, Vanes-Mari du Toit, has been drafted into the professional netball team, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who campaign in the lucrative ANZ Championship League in Australia and New Zealand.
Du Toit, who was voted the most valuable player at the 2013 African Championships in June, will join the two-time ANZ Champions next month as part of their training squad ahead of the start of the season in March. She will still be available to fulfill all her national team duties.
The ANZ Championships, which started in 2008, features five Australian and five New Zealand teams who battle it out over 14 home and away rounds from March to July. Since its entry into the Australian and New Zealand sporting landscapes, the ANZ Championship has fast established itself as one of the region’s most popular sporting competitions.
“I am very excited about the opportunity and I plan to grab it with both hands. The team has indicated its interest in me for some time and now that it’s official, I am ecstatic. It’s a massive achievement and takes me a step closer to having a career in netball,” said du Toit.
It’s been a tremendous year for du Toit, who is currently studying toward a BCom degree in Human Resources at the University of Pretoria, as she was also crowned Tuks’ 2013 female athlete of the year. Unfortunately, an injury sustained during the Spar Proteas test match tour of England in September kept her out of the 2013 Nelson Mandela Bay Tri-Nations and 2013 Diamond Challenge tournaments held in Port Elizabeth over the past two weeks.
The Pretoria native hopes that she will help open the door to more South African netball players.
“The standard of the ANZ League is very high and it will be a privilege to train and compete with the best players in the world. Over there, players are exposed to cutting edge training and I have no doubt that I will improve as a player and be an asset to the Spar Proteas,” she said.
Netball SA CEO, Blanche de la Guerre, said they wished du Toit all the best and knew she would fly the South African flag high.
“Her selection is an indication of how strong and fast our netball is developing, and we believe it’s is an amazing opportunity for Vanes-Mari to take part in the most competitive netball league in the world. She is hard-working and dedicated to her sport, and we know that she will do very well in the ANZ Championship,” she said.
