After a couple of years playing in the Netball Super League in the United Kingdom for London Pulse, Nicholé Breedt, a Maties netball alumnus who graduated in 2022, returned to the local stage of the Telkom Netball League (TNL) in South Africa (SA).
Return to the local stage
Breedt will spend the 2026 TNL season with the Western Cape Southern Stings. On the second official day of the tournament, 25 April, she secured player of the match in a Stings victory over the KwaZulu-Natal Kingdom Stars.
Nicholé Breedt, a Maties netball alumnus, wearing the pink bib after securing player of the match in a Western Cape Southern Stings victory over the KwaZulu-Natal Kingdom Stars. Breedt will spend the 2026 TNL season with the Stings after a couple of years playing in the United Kingdom for London Pulse. PHOTO: Supplied/Nicholé Breedt
Breedt debuted for the Proteas, the South African national team, in 2022 and has become a familiar face amongst netball stars and fans. On 20 April, a media release by Netball SA, the official body for netball in SA, confirmed Breedt as a contracted player for 12 months, effective 1 April 2026.
Later in the year, she hopes to be selected for the Proteas squad competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this July.
“I am not overseas or playing for any international leagues this year. I have decided to come home,” said Breedt. For Breedt, one of the highlights of being back home has been being able to interact with the fans in SA. “I’m not home very often when I am in netball season so I think one of the most amazing things I’ve been able to experience recently is just meeting a lot of the fans.”
“I would never play for any other country in the world, not only because of my passport and citizenship but because I would never,” said Breedt when asked about the Proteas.
From Stellenberg, to Maties to Proteas
Breedt played for the Maties team that won the Varsity Cup title in 2022 and was the Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament in 2021. She still tracks Maties’ progress and is excited to see what the youngsters bring to the side with Sasha-Lee Petersen and Jo Prins as the head coaches.
Nicholé Breedt played for Maties team that won the Varsity Cup title in 2022 and was the Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament in 2021. PHOTO: Supplied/Nicholé Breedt
Breedt sees a lot of potential in the younger Maties side and said that “they really have the opportunity to be a strong team if they are just connected on court”.
Breedt played goal attack (GA), wing attack, centre and goal shooter for Maties and at London Pulse. While GA is her favourite position, Breedt has always enjoyed watching all the positions on court and likes to remain flexible.
From Stellenberg High School, to Maties, to the national team, Breedt had “to learn to refine [her] netball a lot, slow down and kind of adapt to the players around [her]”.
While her teammates changed, Zanele Mdodana, coached her at a Maties level as Maties head coach and now at a national level as deputy head coach of the Proteas. Mdodana is coaching alongside Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk. “I’ve always enjoyed being coached by both of them,” said Breedt. She praised their analytical ability and how they focus on players individually, while also considering the broader team dynamic.
An experienced comparison
Breedt also experienced a taste of the Australian netball league, Suncorp Super Netball (SSN), where she spent a month training with the Sunshine Coast Lightning in 2024. According to Breedt, TNL and Super League are not necessarily professional yet as a lot of the players still have a day job. At SSN it is a full-time job where you are supported financially as the “players get paid a lot of money”.
Breedt said that Netball SA is working very hard to bring TNL to a professional level. “We’re getting better with exposure on television with Supersport and just having a lot more players and development present.”
Funding is also a primary need for South African netball. “I know it goes both ways. We need a lot more funding in our netball to be able to have netball to grow but I also know that we need to perform better to be able to receive that funding,” she said.
As she lives and breathes
Breedt’s core netball memories include scoring the equalising shot in the last three seconds against New Zealand in the 2023 Netball World Cup and her debut game for the Proteas against Wales in the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Nicholé Breedt, a Maties netball alumnus, played for the Proteas, the South African national netball team, in the 2023 Netball World Cup. Breedt debuted for the Proteas in 2022 and has become a familiar face amongst netball stars and fans. PHOTO: Supplied/Nicholé Breedt
Outside of netball, she “honestly just love[s] life”. She loves Cape Town, her family and also stays active in any way she can. She enjoys jogging, surfing, hiking, cycling and completed her first Hyrox on 5 April.
Breedt hopes to one day play in the SSN league. To the fans, she said: “Carry on supporting netball, playing, enjoying, and loving the sport.”