NSA set semifinal target for Baby Proteas in Gibraltar

Acting Netball South Africa president Mami Diale is confident the Spar Baby Proteas can shine at the upcoming Netball World Youth Cup.

On the eve of their departure to the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 in Gibraltar, the SPAR Baby Proteas joined sponsor @My_SPAR for a special media conference. 🇿🇦🏆#SPARBabyProteas #WeAreAllIn #RoadToGibraltar #NWYC2025GIB pic.twitter.com/QXCUnBvjz2

— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) September 8, 2025

South Africa will be heading out to the global spectacle that takes place from 19 to 28 September, looking to make a name for themselves. The Precious Mthembu led side will depart for Europe on Tuesday, 9 September, and make a stop in the United Kingdom, where they will take part in preparation matches before going to Gibraltar.

South Africa have not finished on the podium in the junior World Cup before. However, Diale has set a clear objective for the team: they must at least reach the semifinals at this year's tournament. The national junior team finished in sixth place in the 2017 edition held in Botswana. The 2021 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Diale, the former director of demarcation, says that securing a podium finish would be an added achievement.

“As a federation, we always have an expectation. We support, invest a lot, and obviously there is an expectation on what we are doing. We are not putting pressure on them, but it will be good if we get into the top four. At least. But it will be better if we can have a podium finish. We are not putting pressure (on them), but we are encouraging (them) and we are supporting them towards that because we have to do it together. We have prepared them in such a way that the results must be positive. Our wish is for them to be (in the) top three, or the least could be in the fourth. So we can change the narrative of always being in the top five. We have given them all the support they need, it is now up to them (to bring the results). I am saying they should do the best that they can,” says Diale.

NSA have organised matches against the 2025 Netball Super League champions and former Nichole Breedt’s team, the London Pulse, and the England Roses A for the Baby Proteas to test themselves before the start of the tournament. The mentor says she hopes these matches will be enough to set her team straight and ready for the tough competition in Gibraltar.

“We’ve got practice matches that we have arranged to play. I think it would have been unfair to just go straight to Gibraltar at the village to start practicing without having any shake off or being under pressure. The whole idea behind that is to get them mentally and physically ready, and hopefully by the time we hit the village, they are going to be prepared,” says Mthembu

This year’s tournament features twenty teams, with Africa represented by South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi. Five teams automatically qualified, including New Zealand,

Australia, England and Fiji after finishing in the top four in the last edition while Gibraltar qualified as host. The remaining 15 teams competed in the Regional Qualifiers in 2024.

Mthembu’s chargers have been pitted in pool D along with Barbados, Young Queens of Malawi, Fiji, and Trinidad and Tobago.

“We are ready. We want to do well in our pool. With the work that we have done throughout, I think it’s going to be rewarding in the end,” says Mthembu.

The former defensive midcourt star says it’s important that both she and her assistant, Phumza Maweni, drill it into the players the importance of representing their country on such a big stage.

“It is our role to make the players understand the magnitude and the scale of how big this challenge is for them. They are a young group, but it is our time to make them understand that it is a big task for them. They have to make a mark for themselves in the world, representing the country with pride,” she says.

Although the Spar Proteas coaches announced the squad for the 2025/2026 international season, they emphasised that the Netball World Youth Cup will be a perfect platform to observe talent to bring into the senior side. Mthembu says the competition will prepare the players for places in the senior team.

“The group we chose is a group that is excited. They raised their hands, and they want to go out there and represent the country. It’s a group that wants to make a mark in the world and do well for South Africa. It’s our time now. We also) want to get the girls ready for the (senior) national call-ups. This is the starting point for them. They have had a chance to train with Jenny (van Dyk), which was a good thing for them,” she explains.