Sponsorship dearth delays Gumede’s plan to revive netball in townships

Veteran netball player Hazel Gumede’s plan to revive the sport in townships has not been able to get off the ground due to lack of sponsorship, making it difficult for her to fulfil her dreams of developing future netball stars. 

The legendary Gumede of Mofolo South, Soweto, said there was no financial backing when it came to the development of aspiring players after her attempts to host the Street Netball matches were unsuccessful . 

“I started Street Netball in 2009 because I was trying to revive the spirit of netball in Soweto. I didn’t get any assistance. I was doing everything from my own pocket. I would move from one township to the next, girls would come out to play but it did not last because I had no financial help. 

“Girls who attend schools in townships are very much at a disadvantage because they do not get recognised. Sports in township schools is not what it should be as there are no proper facilities and that is why I thought Street Netball would be a pilot. I wanted to develop players of colour because of what I personally went through,” said Gumede. 

The 59-year-old who is also an educator by profession is still involved at development level. She has produced a few provincial players and said she wished they could also be selected to play for the national netball team.  

“I am coaching some of the girls at the school where I teach and I am also a sports coordinator. I have sent some of them to play provincially and am looking to get some into league teams because this is how they can make a career out of netball. We tried to pave the way for them to take advantage of better opportunities,” she said.

She played in the 1980s and travelled to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Barbados, Jamaica and Miami, among other places. 

Gumede said she had the worst flashbacks of her career when she attended the Netball World Cup opening ceremony earlier last month hosted in Cape Town, Western Cape. 

“Fortunately, I was able to attend the opening ceremony. I was so excited but I got the shock of my life when I saw that there were only three black girls in the starting line-up. This didn’t sit well with me. 

“The rest were white. I was standing on the grandstand just watching. In my mind, I was like, ‘Oh my God, not this again’. It is nice to see them [black players] being named as part of the squad but it would have been great for them to be in that line up also. It was only Phumza Maweni, Khanyisa Chawane, and Bongiwe Msomi [Captain]. I was met with disappointment,” said Gumede. 

She said this took her back to an instance where she was robbed of the opportunity to represent the national team. 

“When I saw the line-up, it was such a trigger for me.  I wondered why was it still happening [that black players are left out]. When will it change?” 

Gumede emphasises that women in sports should be taken seriously and should support each other.

She remembers how during her times as a player, she and her teammates would borrow shoes from each other. 

“I started with basketball. I tried tennis as well but out of all the sporting codes, netball was the cheapest. I stuck to it. For me to get the attire for tennis and basketball was hard considering my home background.  

“With netball, our team manager would buy us the equipment we needed, so it was not much of a hassle. All I needed to bring was just my shoes. Even though I didn’t have shoes, I knew I could borrow them from my teammates because we were that close.” 

Gumede said the state of netball in SA was not exactly where it should be.

She believes that more can be done to get funding so it can get to the fundamental level that will also be convenient for the black girl living in townships.

ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za