The Premier Netball League is the top level

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

league featuring teams from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It was formed in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and is organised by

Netball South Africa Netball South Africa is the main governing body for netball in South Africa. It is affiliated to World Netball and Africa Netball. It is responsible for organising and administering the South Africa national netball team, the South Africa me ...

. Between 2014 and 2018, due to

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

and

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

arrangements, the league was known as the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup. Since 2019, the league has been sponsored by Telkom and, as a result, it is widely known as the Telkom Netball League. In 2014,

Free State Crinums Free State Crinums are a South African netball team based in Bloemfontein. Since 2014, they have represented the Free State in the Telkom Netball League. They were the inaugural league champions. Between 2014 and 2016, Crinums won three succe ...

were the inaugural winners.

Gauteng Jaguars Gauteng Jaguars are a netball in South Africa, South African netball team based at the University of Pretoria. Since 2014 in South Africa, 2014, together with Gauteng Golden Fireballs, they have represented Gauteng in the Telkom Netball League. ...

are the league's most successful team, having won six titles. The league features two divisions and uses a

promotion and relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

format. The winners of the Division Two Shield can gain promotion to Division One by winning a play off.

History

Inaugural season

In 2014,

, Eastern Cape Aloes,

Gauteng Golden Fireballs The Premier Netball League is the top level netball league featuring teams from South Africa. It was formed in 2014 and is organised by Netball South Africa. Between 2014 and 2018, due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, the league w ...

and North West Flames, became founder members of Division One of the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup.

Limpopo Baobabs Limpopo Baobabs are a South African netball team based in Polokwane. Since 2014 they have represented Limpopo in the Telkom Netball League. In 2023 they won the Division Two Shield and, after winning a play-off, they were promoted to Divisio ...

, together with Southern Stings, Kingdom Stars, Mpumalanga Sunbirds and Northern Cape Diamonds, became founder members of Division Two. Free State Crinums were subsequently the inaugural Division One champions after defeating Jaguars 40–36 in the final. Southern Stings won the inaugural Division Two Shield, after defeating Kingdom Stars 39–31 in the final. Stings went on to gain promotion to Division One after defeating Eastern Cape Aloes 52–40 in a play off.

Free State Crinums

Between 2014 and 2016, with teams coached by Burta de Kock, captained by

Maryka Holtzhausen Maryka Holtzhausen (born 2 June 1987) is a former South African netball player. She played in the positions of GA and WA. She was a member of the South Africa national netball team, and competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the 2 ...

and featuring

Karla Pretorius Karla Pretorius (née Mostert; born 12 March 1990) is a South African netball player, and has represented her country with the South Africa national netball team. She plays in the positions of Goal Defence (GD) and Wing Defence (WD). She previo ...

won three successive titles. On each occasion they defeated

in the final. In 2024, Crinums, with a team coached by Martha Mosoahle-Samm and featuring a returning Pretorius, won a fourth title.

Gauteng Jaguars

Between 2017 and 2021, Gauteng Jaguars won five successive titles. In 2017, with a team coached by

Jenny van Dyk Jenny van Dyk is the current head coach of the South Africa national netball team. Between 2011 and 2023, van Dyk served as head coach of UP-Tuks, guiding the team to three Varsity Netball titles. Between 2014 and 2021, she also served as head c ...

and captained by

Shadine van der Merwe Shadine van der Merwe (born 25 November 1992) is a South Africa netball international. She has represented South Africa at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games and at the 2019 and 2023 Netball World Cups. In South Africa, she played for UP-Tuk ...

, they won their first title after defeating North West Flames 49–43 in the final. With teams featuring

Marlize de Bruin Marlize de Bruin (born 11 November 1994) is a South African sportswomen. As a netball player, she played for UP-Tuks in Varsity Netball and for Gauteng Jaguars in the Premier Netball League. She also represented the South Africa national net ...

and

Izette Griesel Izette Griesel (born 12 July 1992) is a South African netball player. She was selected to represent the South African netball team at the 2019 Netball World Cup The 2019 Netball World Cup (also known as the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup fo ...

, they retained the title in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Gauteng Golden Fireballs, with a team captained by

Bongiwe Msomi Bongiwe Msomi (born 19 January 1988) is a former South Africa netball international and current netball coach. Between 2011 and 2023, Msomi made 171 senior appearances for South Africa. She represented South Africa at the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2 ...

, because just the third team to win the title when they beat Jaguars 35–32 in the final. However in 2023, Jaguars returned to win their sixth title.

Expansion

In 2014, when the league was founded, it featured ten teams divided into two divisions, Division One and Division Two. Each division featured five teams. In 2019, for one season only, three invitational teams – SPAR Smileys, President's Stars and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

– played a series of exhibition matches alongside the league program. The former two were effectively home based members of the South Africa women's national team and the

South Africa men's national netball team The South Africa men's national netball team, nicknamed the Puma Proteas, represents Netball South Africa in international men's netball competitions, including the Men's Africa Netball Cup and the Men's Fast5 Netball World Series. History Ear ...

respectively. Zimbabwe used the series as preparation for the

2019 Netball World Cup The 2019 Netball World Cup (also known as the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th edition of the INF Netball World Cup. It was held from 12–21 July 2019 at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, England with matches ...

. In 2020 two new teams, Kingdom Queens and Western Cape Tornados, were added to Division Two. In 2021, they were joined by Eastern Cape Comets. Ahead of the 2023 season, Free State Sonoblomo and Limpopo Lilies joined Division Two. The league now featured fifteen teams. This also saw Kingdom Stars reinstated in Division One, despite losing the 2022 promotion/relegation play off. The 2025 edition is to be held at Sun City Superbowl in the North West Province. Division One will feature two additional teams in the Baby Spar Proteas and the Zimbabwean national netball team.

2025 teams

Division One

Division Two

Finals

Division One

Premier Netball League division two trophy

Division Two Shield

Promotion/Relegation

Sponsorship

References

External links

Official Website
{{Netball in Africa Netball competitions in South Africa

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

2014 establishments in South Africa Sports leagues established in 2014