Two Port Elizabeth male netball players, Dyllan Scholtz and Luan Verwey, have been selected to join the men’s national netball squads after being spotted in action at the netball championships in Durban earlier this month.
Scholtz was selected to the senior team while Verwey made the U23 national squad.
Both players are thrilled with their achievement and would love to become professional players one day.
“Being selected in the senior national squad and I am only a junior now, it’s indescribable. I am very proud of myself knowing that I made my coach, club and other supporters I have out there proud,” Scholtz said.
The 20-year-old centre started playing netball in 2015 in a mixed team which was made up of four girls and three males. From there he was spotted by Phoenix Netball Club.
“I played at Phoenix for two years and in 2016 I made my first EP team and then this year I decided to join Pearson Netball Club.”
Meanwhile, teammate Verwey, 23, who plays for Phoenix, quit soccer to play men’s netball.
“I felt more passionate about netball. I felt like I could actually go somewhere and as the sport grows I will grow with it.
“Plus it’s something different, so I thought let me give it a try and see how things go and now I will be an SA player.
“At the moment I am working and studying business management part-time, but I would like to do netball fulltime.
“Hopefully the sport will get big in the future and I will leave my job and play netball.
“Being chosen to join the SA U23 men’s netball team makes me feel good, ” he said.
Since joining the sport, the two say men’s netball has grown tremendously in the country.
“From the time when I joined, the sport has grown a lot and it is getting bigger and bigger.
“In Durban we had 40 men’s teams which consisted of 12 males in a squad so the sport is getting there,” Verwey said.
Scholtz said: “We have EP and nationals now and we have been told that they might even introduce a Brutal Fruit League as well for men’s netball. So, that is very exciting.”
Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s Netball coach, Jenny Sharp said after spending six weeks with the duo ahead of the men’s champs they were ready to join the national setup.
The coach said it was not clear at this stage if the national teams would be competing anytime soon.