Chair of the 2023 Netball World Cup Board Patience Shikwambana is concerned about the country’s lack of enthusiasm for the netball showpiece, which will be held in Cape Town from July 28 to August 6. 

In August, Shikwambana stressed that they were slow in marketing the World Cup. It seems like there’s been little to no improvement. 

“We have been slow on the issue of mobilisation, and we have to move on it,” said Shikwambana this week. “I’m going to be very frank, I think the fact that we only announced last year in April and the delays around our operational team delayed us.

“Now we are on track, we have got our tournament director and some of the heads of department within the LOC (local organising committee). We have just appointed a marketing company, which shows now we are going to move out there and start to mobilise the country to know that the event is coming to South Africa,” she said. 

Modern-day tools of marketing can range from social media promotion, video advertising and events among many others. 

Shikwambana believes that one way to get the message of the World Cup across the country is through word of mouth.

“Most of us are here in Johannesburg because of work but we come from various provinces. I’m saying when I go home, I must talk about this event, so the people at home know we are going to have this event.

“We need to start talking about where the fan parks are going to be, we must start talking to people about this event. We are hoping this December, as people are going to go home to relax; this can be an avenue for us to go out there and talk to people about this event,” said Shikwambana. 

The draw for the World Cup will be tonight at 7.30pm in East London.