South Africa’s senior netball head coach Jenny Van Dyk and Under-21 coach Precious Mthembu have expressed confidence and excitement ahead of their teams’ upcoming Margaret Beckford Sunshine Series against Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls.

The South African squads—SPAR Proteas and SPAR Baby Proteas—arrived in Jamaica on Saturday with high expectations to better their senior and young Sunshine Girls counterparts. Jamaica’s third-ranked senior team is currently riding high after a 2-1 win over England in the four-match Horizon series.

Van Dyk, leading the fifth-ranked SPAR Proteas, is optimistic about her team’s chances.

“We will also go for the win. I would not be the national coach if we would step onto the court and not want to win. It’s important to us as a country. We love to win, so for us, we’re going for three wins at the end of the day,” she declared.

The series marks a significant step in South Africa’s netball development, as the Proteas look to test themselves against one of the world’s top teams.

“I am really looking forward to the Jamaican matches. It’s such an important opportunity for us to start off our planning and to really get everything into motion,” Van Dyk explained.

“We’ve been playing teams that rank lower than us, which puts a lot of pressure on you because you can’t really lose. But playing the top four is definitely where we want to be. This new agreement between Jamaica and South Africa is fantastic—us coming here, them coming to us next year, and including the younger players. It’s a step in the right direction,” she added.

The SPAR Proteas will rely on a balanced squad that includes experienced defenders like Boitumelo Mahloko and Nicola Smith, a strong mid-court led by Khanyisa Chawane, and sharp shooters like Elmerè van der Berg and Ine-Mari Venter.

Meanwhile, Precious Mthembu, welcomed the learning opportunities that the series offers her young team.

“We are just excited to be part of the series. We want to learn more and go back home with a lot of lessons learnt. We want to see how the young girls play, and hopefully we go back home and work on some things that we need to work on,” Mthembu said.

The Baby Proteas’ squad features promising talents like Mbali Diphoko, Lisa Ingwersen, and Zionne Grobler, who will look to gain valuable experience against Jamaica’s Under-21 team.

The series, scheduled for January 18, 22, and 25 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, will feature double-header matches with the Under-21 teams playing first, followed by the senior counterparts.

Historically, Jamaica has dominated South Africa in netball, winning 15 of their 18 encounters. The last time South Africa toured Jamaica in 2012, the Sunshine Girls claimed victory in two of the three matches.

South Africa’s senior squad: Boitumelo Mahloko, Sanmarie Visser, Ane Retief, Nicola Smith, Jamie van Wyk, Kamogelo Maseko, Tarle Mathe, Khanyisa Chawane, Refiloe Nketsa, Jeante Strydom, Nichole Breedt, Rolene Streutker, Elmerè van der Berg, Ine-Mari Venter, Owethu Ngubane

South Africa’s U-21 squad: Mbali Diphoko, Michelle van der Merwe, Giada Prinsloo, Lisa Ingwersen, Thato Legodi, Jade Atkins, Karla Victor, Kyla Dames, Noncubeko Mjaliswa, Phophi Nematangari, Kiara van Eeden, Zahrah Noah, Ametisse Bandu, Luca Keun, Zionne Grobler