Street Netball offers hope

to girls from Cape Town’s communities

The City of Cape Town unveiled the latest mural commemorating the Netball World Cup outside the CTICC, which will be the home of the quadrennial tournament for two weeks in July.

The life-size artwork, paying homage to Cape Town’s netball heritage and the Mother City, is situated on Lower Long Street between Walter Sisulu Avenue and Wharf Street. The street mural adds to a list the City commissioned across the metro since last July to raise awareness in the lead up to the upcoming international netball tournament. The large artwork will remain on the road surface for the next few months and will be part of Cape Town’s official fan park for the event.

The fan park will be situated on Cullinan Square and will be a space where fans can watch matches, enjoy live entertainment, play games and enjoy a family environment for the duration of the Netball World Cup which starts in July.

The Streets of eight Cape Town communities turned into vibrant netball courts on Friday, 21 April with the launch of Sporting Chance Street Netball – a regional street netball programme that is part of the City of Cape Town’s Countdown to The Netball World Cup.

The first official street netball games were played on 21 April, while regional finals are planned for Youth Day, 16 June 2023, and the festival finale will take place in the Fan Park next to the CTICC to coincide with the 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup.

Sponsored by the City of Cape Town and Sunbet Cares and endorsed by the Cape Town Netball Federation and Netball South Africa, Street Netball is an initiative conceived and co-ordinated by Sporting Chance, a youth sports development organisation based in Cape Town. The Street Netball programme teaches life skills through the game of netball to children who need it most.

Life skills, talent nurturing and hope for the future

Sporting Chance is a sports coaching and developing organisation established in 1990 to break down barriers and show how sports can positively change young lives. In keeping with this mission and vision, the Street Netball initiative also presents a Life Skills programme to all the girls, that will run concurrently for the eight weeks.

“The street is the ideal venue for kids to come together and do something positive and healthy,” says Brad Bing, managing director of Sporting Chance.

“The Cape Town hosted 2023 Vitality Netball World Cup should be more than a pleasant memory for South Africans,” says Bing. “It should leave a lasting legacy of promise, showing all South Africans that dreams can come true, even for the most humble. This is the time to grab the excitement generated by a world sporting event being hosted on SA ground and carry it through to a grassroots level.”

“Sport is such a powerful catalyst in this country - it truly has the power to transform lives, and we are pleased and excited to be able to use this event to take netball to the communities of Cape Town, growing the game, whilst also empowering young women with life skills education,” Bing concludes.

Do something remarkable donate blood

In December 2021, Tristan Kelly, a physically fit multi-sport athlete, was attacked by a Nyala bull, while on a family vacation in Timbavati. One horn penetrated his right calf and another through the body. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered serious bleeding in his abdomen caused by a shredded iliac vein. Tristan had lost a significant amount of blood and needed 5 units of red blood cells, 5 units of fresh frozen plasma, and 6 units of cryoprecipitate.

After surviving the tragic incident, Tristan felt the need to give back to the community. He researched the need for blood in the Western Cape and discovered a significant shortage. “I felt guilty that I had taken from the system and felt obliged to give back,” said Tristan. Unfortunately, Tristan cannot donate blood himself at this time. However, he contacted the Western Cape Blood Service and arranged to host a blood donation clinic at Kelfords Ford Motors in Somerset West, where he is the Managing Director.

Tristan has held 5 Blood drives at Kelfords Ford Motors in Somerset West with over 250 units of blood donated.

The Western Cape Blood Service is a non-profit, independent organization that operates throughout the Western Cape. Its mission is to provide safe blood and blood products to all communities in the region, from Cape Town to George, without prejudice. Its goal is to be the benchmark transfusion service in South Africa.

By donating blood, you have the potential to save up to three lives.

The next blood donation clinic is scheduled for 12 May