ANUSHKA ODENDAAL

My international netball journey began in October of 2019 when I was nominated by the USSA Federation to attend a technical course hosted by the International Federation Netball (INF). The African Netball Cup was my first international tournament as a technical official. I am so blessed for that opportunity as I was able to learn and grow as an official and I took full advantage of it. I learned many techniques and skills to capture a netball match on paper and that made me realise how amazing the game of netball can be and how constructive feedback is crucial.

I was called up to assist as a technical official at the South Africa vs England Test Series in December of 2019, which was hosted at the Bellville Velodrome. With the Covid-19 pandemic, netball came to a stand-still and we anxiously waited for the moment that we could resume events on the calendar.

The SPAR Challenge Tri-Nations Tournament was held in March of 2021 at the CTICC where I expanded my knowledge and skills as a technical official, learning from the absolute best in the field. As the regulations were relieved during the pandemic, my Varsity Cup Netball journey began in October of 2021 and I was privileged to be appointed as a technical official, ensuring that the high quality of work that was expected was maintained.

The Netball World Cup African Qualifiers was a big event on the netball calendar. I was selected as one of four officials from the Western Cape to be trained as a statistician and/or technical official for the Netball World Cup in 2023. The final appointed group of statisticians will be primarily selected from

I was also selected to act as table manager at the Varsity Cup semi-finals and finals of 2022 which were hosted by the University of Stellenbosch. I am always grateful for any opportunity that crosses my path, and I will always strive to become better by learning from the greatest. A philosophy of mine is: Today is my opportunity to build the tomorrow that is desired, and these opportunities will be found if I believe that they are there. Although I strive for perfection, I believe that there is always room for improvement. My attitude will always reflect gratitude, because the more grateful I am, the more beauty I see around me.