Each player in the 12-women-strong SPAR Proteas team may walk away R1-million richer if they win the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool this coming Sunday. The South African national netball team beat Uganda to make their way into the competition’s semi-finals earlier this week, making it the team’s fifth win for the competition.
The team has been promised R1-million each if they make it all the way through the domestic league by Vodacom. If they finish second‚ each player will get R500 000.
The national sponsor of the team has also announced that it will add another R750 000 if the team comes in second place, or R500 00 if they come in third. A total of R1-million will be added if they make it to first place.
On Thursday evening at 9pm, the SPAR Proteas will face off against tournament favourites England. Even if they lose this match, the Proteas’ place in the semifinals is still guaranteed.
“I think it is only fair that we pay these ladies such monies‚ they have earned them‚” said Netball South Africa (NSA) president Cecilia Molokwane to TimesLIVE. “Even before we talked money with them‚ they were here doing the most‚ delivering and winning games that have put us in the position that we are. I think we need to reward great work when we see it‚ in this team I see greatness and believe that they can deliver silverware for the country. This will be the first time that netball players in South Africa earn such monies.”
Molokwane added that the sport is definitely growing in the country as it gains in popularity. Players are also receiving more fiscal incentive than ever before.
“We could easily have 12 new millionaires at the end of this week‚ imagine how many lives we will change and be impacted by this,” she said. “I believe that the team has earned all the good things coming their way. Coach Norma (Plummer) and her support staff have done very well to give us a team that we have today‚ and I think it is only that we reward them accordingly.”
Since the tournament first kicked off last week, the SPAR Proteas have made five wins, beating Fiji‚ Trinidad and Tobago‚ Jamaica‚ Scotland and Uganda.
Picture: SPAR