Proteas vs. Diamonds series: South African coach Norma Plummer pushes for domestic league to bolster international

South African netball coach Norma Plummer is on a reconnaissance mission while her team plays the Diamonds to figure out what works to bolster the country’s domestic league.

South African netball officials will pick the brains of their Australian counterparts during the Proteas tour as the country moves to adopt a professional league to bolster the standard of its domestic players.

South Africa remains the No.5 ranked nation in world netball despite losing the playoff for fifth to Uganda at the World Cup in Cape Town earlier this year.

Coach Norma Plummer, a former Australian Diamonds mentor, believes South Africa needs a professional league of its own, as well as having its best athletes playing in professional leagues around the world, if the Proteas are to close the gap on the top four nations.

To help that happen, she said officials would tap into the expertise of Netball Australia officials in setting up and running a professional league as well as individual franchises.

The Proteas huddle ahead of their game against the Diamonds in Cairns. Picture: Emily Barker/Getty Images

“South Africa, the hierarchy are coming out and talking to Netball Australia and I think Netball Victoria about a franchise situation and what it takes to run a league,” Plummer said.

“So they are trying to be forthright in building for South Africa a proper competition – the three-week Telkom League doesn’t cut it when you want to go out internationally.”

The Proteas lost the opening match of the three-Test series 62-43 in Cairns on Wednesday night, with Plummer philosophical about the 19-goal margin.

“I have to take my hat off to them (the Proteas). They could go and play all the African teams and get a win,” Plummer said.

“They come here, they’re going to learn it’s really hard.

“But that’s the difference. There’s no use in going and playing where you’re going to get a soft win, you’ve got to be able to resist pressure – and I love the way they step up to it.

“We had some great passages and then we blew about two in a row.

“The stuff that was coming through, you can see it’s there but it’s got to be consistent.”

Norma Plummer is head coach of South Africa. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023 via Getty Images

With Karla Pretorius not reoffered a contract at Sunshine Coast Lightning, it seems that next year’s Super Netball will be a league not featuring any South African players for the first time in many years.

“That’s true and it’s a shame,” Plummer said.

“But hopefully when coaches see South Africa out here (that will change for the future).

“You’ve got to remember they used to get beaten by 55 goals – not 19 – so there’s been a drop and they’ve started to understand what it takes.”

Originally published as Proteas vs. Diamonds series: South African coach Norma Plummer pushes for domestic league to bolster international