Media statement 14 March 2024
Cllr Nasiphi Moya
Deputy Mayor
Community and Social Development Services
The City, in partnership with Tshwane Netball, will host the Netball World Youth Cup Africa qualifiers from 16 to 23 March 2024 at the University of Pretoria. This will be in collaboration with various other internal and external stakeholders from the City and Netball South Africa. We once again look forward to showcasing a world-class sporting event in Tshwane.
The tournament will see six African countries descending on the city, namely Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, with the seventh participant being the host country, South Africa. The Youth Cup, which is the pinnacle netball competition for emerging players who are under 21 years of age, provides a pathway for developing elite players, coaches and match officials.
The Netball World Youth Cup takes place every four years, and the next one is scheduled for 2025 in Gibraltar. The last time this tournament was held was in 2017 in Gaborone, Botswana, where South Africa took part and was ranked sixth.
Netball South Africa was not initially sanctioned to host this competition, but they jumped on the opportunity when Africa Netball reached out to South Africa to host based on its recent experience of hosting two successful World Netball qualifiers and the Netball World Cup 2023.
On the backdrop of the successful hosting of the Africa qualifiers in the build-up to the world cup last year, the City was requested to host this youth tournament, and Tshwane Netball duly obliged and we committed our support as the host city.
On 17 March 2024, I will welcome the six participating African countries and their teams to our shores. In collaboration with all internal stakeholder departments, we will ensure a very successful tournament and will continue to showcase our city as one of the best hosts of sporting events and a tourist destination of choice.
I urge the public and community at large to come in their numbers to support the junior Protea Team in the tournament and cheer them on to do well as the hosting team.
The City will assist the development clubs that are playing in the Tshwane Netball League with transport to attend the games to expose them to the highest levels of the game, thereby encouraging them to take the sport seriously and aspire to play at that level too.
I would like to thank Tshwane Netball for the continued good relations we have with them and for entrusting the City with the responsibility of hosting these events, not forgetting our strategic partner, the University of Pretoria, for always availing their world-class facilities to host these sporting events. This is indeed a good partnership that has produced tangible outcomes, and we will continue to nurture it to grow even bigger.
Enquiries:
Dr Azwihangwisi Judith Mphidi