Top South African university netball teams will descend on Johannesburg with the single aim of lifting the 2024 University Sport South Africa (USSA) Championship trophy. The five-day thriller will unfold at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Netball Club facilities in Westdene from Monday, 1 to Friday, 5 July 2024.
For the first time, the USSA Netball Championship will include both male and female netball teams in different categories.
A rising netball powerhouse
The hosts UJ, (nicknamed the “Orange Army,”) have seen a remarkable rise in recent championships under Coach Bongiwe Msomi, a former SPAR Proteas captain. UJ Netball made history for the University in 2022, finishing as semi-finalists for the first time in the highly contested FNB Varsity Netball tournament, and went on to reach the 2023 final in which they narrowly lost to the University of Pretoria in extra time.
In the 2023 USSA championship in the Western Cape, the UJ Netball teams (the Senior Women’s UJ 1 and the second Women’s UJ 2 teams) performed well. UJ 2 was the first UJ team to win gold at the 2023 USSA championship, while UJ 1 finished in 4th place – securing a spot in the prestigious Super League of universities’ netball teams. There, UJ 1 competed in the USSA Division A with UJ 2 in Division B.
UJ will be looking to win the championship with the boost of home court, and supporters advantage. The UJ teams will also be drawing on the experience of the majority of its players who represent provincial teams in the Telkom Netball League.
“We are quite excited to host the 2024 USSA Netball Championship here at UJ. Our Netball teams have been on an upward trajectory over the recent years, with the ladies’ team finishing in the semifinal and the final in 2022 and 2023, respectively. We have invested in our infrastructure with the recent refurbishments to the courts in Westdene, and the talent that we have groomed to play such impressive netball in provincial and national teams.
“Our UJ 2 team won the championship in their pool last year and we hope that both the UJ 1 and UJ 2 can win the titles this year. I extend my well wishes to the teams and everyone involved in making this tournament a success,” says Ms Nomsa Mahlangu, Senior Director: UJ Sport.
UJ Netball a breeding ground for talent
The UJ Netball Club has produced youngsters who currently represent provincial teams like the Limpopo Baobabs, Gauteng Fireballs, and other Telkom Netball League teams in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal and North West. Last year, players such as Samantha Owethu Ngubane joined Scotland’s Strathclyde Sirens Netball Club while Tarle Mathe was called up to the SPAR Proteas squad. Other players such as Boitumelo Mahlako and Nomfundo Mngomezulu have also made appearances for the SPAR Proteas in local and international championships, including the 2023 Netball Quad Series.
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