Netball World Cup 2023: South Africa ready to 'showcase' historic tournament

All World Cup matches volition beryllium held astatine the Cape Town International Convention Centre

"Chanting, feet stomping, drums, vuvuzelas, yelling, shouting, singing, dancing - a full different level of loudness."

Countries from the continent person agelong competed astatine netball's apical tournament, arsenic good arsenic Commonwealth Games - the different pinnacle lawsuit successful the athletics - but South Africa volition marque past successful Cape Town erstwhile it hosts the 16th variation of the World Cup.

Potgieter says present "the clip is right" for her state to big the tournament.

"It's astir making it known - for netball successful South Africa to get retired determination to showcase what we have," the 29-year-old told BBC Sport.

"This World Cup is simply a large stepping chromatic to amusement that we tin host, we are a large team, we bash person the facilities, we bash person the resources - it's conscionable being fixed the accidental to judge successful america arsenic well."

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It means the tourney volition person been hosted connected each continent and erstwhile the big federation was announced successful 2019, Netball South Africa main enforcement Blanche de la Guerre said she hoped it would thrust information successful netball and assistance to lend positively to wider societal issues.

"Hosting this World Cup volition marque much young girls successful our state enactment successful the sport, particularly young girls from the moving people backgrounds," she said.

South Africa person skirted astir the periphery of the champion netball teams successful the satellite for galore years but since prestigious Australian manager Norma Plummer took to the helm a decennary agone the squad person made strides towards netball powerhouses Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and England.

"Now that we're competing with the champion successful the world, radical announcement america and that's the large happening astir this timing," said Potgieter, who has 89 caps and volition beryllium playing successful her 3rd World Cup.

"If the state itself is not arsenic bully astatine netball, you won't get the fans oregon the spectators due to the fact that they don't truly cognize astir it.

"The past World Cup we were 4th which was the champion successful 25 years and present everyone is looking guardant to america getting a medal astatine this one. The eyes are connected america finally."

The Proteas, who are inactive searching for their archetypal World Cup podium since 1995 erstwhile they were runners-up, arrived successful Cape Town earlier this period to statesman their preparations and Potgieter says World Cup fever is starting to instrumentality clasp of the city.

"It's started getting noisier with much radical and the instrumentality parks are built astir the edifice and adjacent the stadium," she said.

"The vibe is picking up each time and radical each implicit the state person been messaging america and sending america videos saying however excited they are for the World Cup to beryllium successful South Africa.

"It's besides precise bully for our system and tourism - Cape Town is simply a beauteous portion of the country. It's truthful pretty, it's clean, it's green. It is 1 of the astir beauteous parts of confederate Africa truthful radical are successful for a existent treat."

January's Quad Series, which Australia won, was held successful Cape Town arsenic a warm-up to the World Cup

'Welcome to Africa, this is us'

South Africa beryllium 5th successful the satellite rankings but, boosted by a location crowd, the Proteas are expecting to enactment connected a amusement and Potgieter says African crowds are dissimilar thing different nations are utilized to.

"We are utilized to playing successful England and Australia wherever it's each claps and 'go girls, good done!' - those crowds are not utilized to this benignant of African vibe," said Potgieter, who plays for Manchester Thunder.

Cape Town hosted the Quad Series successful January arsenic a warm-up to this summer's showpiece and Potgieter said teams had a sensation of what was to come.

"There wasn't a batch of spectators but determination was inactive a batch of sound and we were conscionable similar 'welcome to Africa - this is us'," she said.

"I'm excited for radical to acquisition that due to the fact that I consciousness - and I'm astir apt biased - South Africa and Africa has the champion tone of each the countries.

"I don't cognize wherefore but we conscionable person that African tone that binds america together. We're besides truthful divers we person togetherness and sisterhood - we conscionable person that tone wrong us, that brave spirit, that don't-give-up spirit."

South Africa volition instrumentality connected Wales successful their opening Pool C lucifer connected Friday astatine the Cape Town International Convention Centre and De la Guerre told South African vigor presumption Cape Talk each tickets for the location nation's matches are sold out.

"Australia, New Zealand, England and Jamaica are [also] precise popular," she added.

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