A recent pre-Netball World Cup conference hosted by the division of sports science at Stellenbosch University (SU) is vital for promoting netball in South Africa. This was according to prof Wilbur Kraak, head of the division of sport sciences at SU, in an interview with SMF News.
The conference was hosted on 20 and 21 July and involved local and international academics, researchers, students, movement specialists, and netball coaches. This was according to prof Ranel Venter, the organiser of the conference, in an interview with SMF News.
The scientific community will often host an academic conference before a major sporting event, like the pre-Netball World Cup conference hosted by the division of sport science at Stellenbosch University. This was according to prof Ranel Venter (pictured above), the organiser of the conference. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
“I felt a desire to bring researchers, coaches, players, administrators, and netball enthusiasts together through a netball-specific conference prior to the Netball World Cup,” stated Venter.
The World Cup will take place in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August, according to the World Netball website.
Empowering women’s sport
“Women’s sport can make an impactful difference in South Africa, but I think it is undervalued,” said Kraak.
This conference can contribute towards empowering sport, stated Kraak. It is crucial to educate and improve the skills of those involved in netball in order to get the sport to its “rightful place”, he added.
There have been talks to have a conference aimed at netball coaches in the future, which will hopefully lead to improved on-court performances, said prof Wilbur Kraak (pictured above), head of the division of sport sciences at Stellenbosch University. Kraak was speaking at a recent netball conference hosted by the division. PHOTO: Daniel Roodt
The conference involved a two-way flow of information, said Venter. The sessions were presented by academics and researchers with approximately 10 minutes allocated for questions, and to facilitate extensive discussion, added Venter.
Improving grassroots netball
South Africa needs to grow grassroots netball organically, said Venter.
The pre-World Cup conference is important for doing that, as people need knowledge to enable the sport to grow. This was according to Dr Elsje Jordaan, former Proteas captain and coach of the Gauteng Golden Fireballs netball team, in an interview with SMF News.
“We need to elevate the base level as well, and this conference helps, as it enables those at a grassroots level to understand where the elite level is,” added Jordaan.
The Netball World Cup will also assist in this process, as it will attract more attention to the sport, said Venter.
Stellenbosch University (SU) and the sports science community are not doing enough to promote women’s sports in South Africa, said prof Wilbur Kraak, head of the division of sport science at SU. Kraak (speaking above) was speaking at a recent pre-Netball World Cup conference hosted at SU. VIDEO: Daniel Roodt