MultiChoice launches netball challenge for schools
Coaches and match officials will also receive skills development, as is the case with the DStv Diski Challenge and the DStv Rugby Challenge.
Following the launch of SuperSport Schools last month, MultiChoice will be extending its support of schools sport through the DStv Schools Netball Challenge.
The new initiative will give up-and-coming female sports stars a platform to shine and get noticed by sporting scouts.
“We are proud of the impact our sports development programmes have had on the country’s future soccer and rugby sports stars, and look forward to uplifting local netball stars,” said Joe Heshu, MultiChoice Group Executive for Corporate Affairs.
The tournament will be contested across all nine provinces, and will be inclusive of secondary schools in rural and urban areas aiming to elevate South African Schools Netball (SASN) through increased exposure and greater support, a crucial aspect leading up to the 2023 Netball World Cup, hosted in Cape Town.
“When we won the rights to host the Netball World Cup back in 2019, as the government we looked forward to leaving a legacy that will benefit a girl child and take netball as a sport to another level,” said Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nocawe Noncedo Mafu.
The DStv Schools Netball Challenge will kick off from May with local inter-school leagues that will progress to district playoffs and then to regional, where teams will play in two separate streams to allow all teams an equal chance of reaching the finals.
The Ubuntu Stream will focus on schools in rural areas and the Batho Stream for schools in urban areas.
The tournament will then proceed to provincial playoffs and conclude with a national championship playoff in August.
Coaches and match officials will also receive skills development, as is the case with the DStv Diski Challenge and the DStv Rugby Challenge.
This is not the first time MultiChoice has partnered with Netball South Africa, as the group previously created, funded, marketed and broadcast the Netball Premier League. The DStv Schools Netball Challenge, however is a big step up and an important one at that, given that South Africa is fifth in the International Netball Federation World rankings.
“We are committed to investing in the development of sport across Africa. We invest billions in sports each year and produce some 700 live sports productions. This drives the African sports economy, which in turn enriches lives,” Mr Heshu concluded.
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