Spotlighting successful women in sport is essential, but so is looking at where the next generation is coming from. Before there is a packed stadium, a national jersey or an international fixture, there is usually a schoolgirl standing on a court wondering how far she can take her talent, and the answer should not depend on where she comes from.
South African netball has shown that there is an appetite for women's sport. The Proteas have built a strong following, the Telkom Netball League continues to provide a professional platform, and young players are moving through the system.
The challenge now is to keep building that system.
More competitions. More exposure. More facilities. More coaching. More opportunities to play at a higher level, and, more importantly, better coverage of the girls who are putting in the work long before they become household names.
The recently concluded DStv Schools Netball Challenge, powered by BestMed, is a good place to start that conversation.
This year's tournament produced two new champions, with Paarl Gimnasium winning the Botho division for the first time in the competition's history, while Khanyolwethu Secondary School claimed the Ubuntu title. Both schools have now earned the opportunity to travel to England, where they will face England's Under-18 side and Loughborough University.
For the players, it is a major achievement. For South African netball, it is another sign that the pipeline is working.
What makes the DStv Schools Netball Challenge interesting is what happens to players after they leave the school court. The tournament is no longer simply a school competition where young players get to test themselves against the best in the country. It is becoming a genuine pathway into higher levels of the sport.
In 2026, 19 former DSNC players made their Telkom Netball League debuts. Twelve of the 15 players selected for South Africa's 2025 Netball World Youth Cup squad were also DSNC alumni.
Those numbers tell a more important story than any one final score. Players who started out representing their schools are progressing into provincial and national structures, while names such as Mbali Diphoko, Kyla Dames and Jade Atkins show what the pathway can look like when young talent is given the opportunity to develop.
Diphoko's journey is particularly significant. She came through Shayamoya Area Secondary School before making an impression at the DSNC national finals and progressing into the Baby Proteas setup. It is exactly the kind of progression that makes school sport worth investing in.
And it is not only about finding the next national player, because the competition is also widening the net for where talent can come from.
The Ubuntu stream has created space for schools that may not have the same resources or sporting profile as some of the country's established netball schools. This year's finalists included Khanyolwethu Secondary School and Kwamziwentsha High School, while Hoërskool De Kruine from Touws River also made headlines on its run to the national finals.
That matters because South African sport cannot afford for talent to be determined by geography, facilities or family income.
The coaching clinics that form part of the DSNC have also taken the game beyond the tournament itself. Former Proteas players Phumza Maweni and Bongiwe Msomi worked with young players across several provinces this year, bringing high-level experience directly to schools and communities.
For a young player, meeting someone who has represented South Africa can make the possibility of reaching that level feel real.
This year's champions, Paarl Gimnasium and Khanyolwethu Secondary School have already made their mark on this year's DSNC. Their next step will take them beyond South Africa.
For the players watching them, that may be the most important part. They can see that the journey does not have to end at the school gates.
Girls deserve stadium energy too. They deserve the crowds, the coverage, the investment and the belief that comes with being taken seriously as athletes and the sooner that becomes the norm, the stronger women's sport will be.
