Germans DO play netball

JUSTISIA SHIPENA
Marianna Nakatana

“It doesn’t matter how fit you are or what size you are. Netball is literally for anybody”-Helen Housbay

Netball is a ball sport which consists of two teams each with seven players. Its development derived from early versions of the sport Basketball and originated from England in the 1890’s. By 1960, international playing rules had been regulated for the sport and the International Federation of Netball (IFN) was officially established. The DHPS is currently 110 years old, it’s the first in history that the new sports code (netball) is being introduced by the school as an extra-mural activity. It was only implemented this year, because of the schools inquisitive learners, who are determined to give netball their best. The stereotype “Germans don’t play netball” has finally been broken.

Scholars at the DHPS are super enthusiastic and excited about their new journey in netball. It kicks-off every Monday and Thursday at 15h30 to 17h00, with Coach Esterhuyse. The players are contented with their coach as she has a multitude of experience in the sport and is more than willing to share skills, knowledge and expertise. She is always well prepared, provides guidance and constructive feedback to the players. They see her as their role model.

The netball group has approximately fifty players, which is surprisingly many as a team per age group only requires 7 athletes to play. They enjoy playing netball as it has multiple health and psychological benefits. The best part of netball is teamwork that is the foundation of the sport – the team members are able to do maneuvers is simply because they are in tune with each other. This environment promotes friendship, loyalty and close-knit relationships that motivate teammates to work even harder and be supportive of one another. The teams are willing to bring their A-game to court and are excited about playing friendly matches and taking part in leagues with other schools.