News24
17 Sep 2019, 20:13 GMT+10
Cape Town - South Africa netball captain Bongiwe Msomi got involved in the sport fairly late and almost by chance, she went onto achieve the highest level as an international player.
The South African captain led the national side to the World Cup semi-finals in England earlier this year.
The 31-year-old Msomi recalled how, when she was in Grade 11 at Luthayi High in 2005, she went to watch a netball practice.
"When I got there they only had 13 players and as they wanted a full-court practice, the coach (Thembisa Mncwabe) was asked if I could join in," she said.
She was given permission by the coach and after some initial hesitation about her ability, Msomi soon adopted netball as her new passion.
That was the start of a career which would take her around the world representing her country while also securing contracts to play professionally in both England and Australia.
The Proteas captain, however, has not forgotten her roots or the start Mncwabe gave her in the sport.
"He has been such a big part of my netball life, often helping to pay for kit which we could not afford in the early days," she said.
"And today he still gives me advice, making sure that I keep my feet on the ground. Sometimes when people tell me I played well he will suggest that I should have done this or should have done that."
Having made her mark in the game during the latter stages of her school career, Msomi, who grew up in Hammarsdale near Durban, underlined her ability as a player and leader by captaining the national U21 side in 2009.
She graduated to the senior side in 2011 and has captained the national team since 2016, earning a total of 104 caps so far.
After competing for South Africa in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Msomi's career moved in another direction, but only after an amusing incident involving her introduction to the professional arena.
Clearly having impressed talent scouts at the Games in Scotland, she received a Facebook message in 2015 about playing professionally in the United Kingdom.
"At that stage of my life I really wasn't exposed to or aware of these sorts of opportunities," said Msomi.
"I actually thought it was some sort of scam and ignored it until I spoke to my coach a few weeks later and he explained the situation and said it was probably the real thing."
Once she made contact, a new experience awaited her and she turned out for Surrey Storm and Wasps in the English Super Leagues.
Further experience was gained last year when Msomi spent some time in the Suncorp Super League in Australia playing for Adelaide Thunderbirds.
While that has been invaluable in her all-round development as a player, Msomi says there is still nothing to match representing your country.
"Every time my name is announced in the national squad there is a feeling of excitement," she said. "It is something I will never take for granted.
"I love having the opportunity to help empower women and I want to give hope to all girls in the South African community.
"Sport has the power to change things. For instance, I have become much more confident from being involved in netball.
"I am extremely proud of what I have achieved and am grateful to many people behind the scenes who have made this all possible."
Msomi completed a national diploma in sport management in 2012 at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and worked as an ambassador for the Girls Only Project, an initiative that deals with the empowerment of women and girls through sport. She also founded the Bongi Msomi Netball Project (BMNetball).
Having made her mark on the court she is looking forward to the opportunities which lie ahead in her position as University of Johannesburg netball manager and coach.
"I have an awesome opportunity as a UJ netball coach to showcase what I can do for others through the sport. I am really excited for what lies ahead," she said.
"I believe that passion, leadership skills, valuable knowledge and experience, confidence, fairness, and time management make a good coach.
"I feel I have a lot to offer the Orange Army. This is an exciting step not only for me, but also for the ladies I will be working with and for the University of Johannesburg."
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationBEIJING, China: Alibaba has made its video- and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, publicly available, marking a significant step...
BERLIN, Germany: Consumer sentiment in Germany has taken an unexpected turn for the worse heading into March despite forecasts predicting...
CAPE TOWN, South Africa: An international summit on global poverty faced setbacks this week as key finance leaders skipped the G20...
ATLANTA, Georgia: After two years of declining same-store sales, Home Depot finally saw a turnaround in the fourth quarter, fueled...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rallied on Friday as economic data showed the U.S. Federal Reserve has likely tamed inflation. The...
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Federal Reserve seemingly has inflation under control with the latest econbomic data confirming little push...
New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Afghanistan's steady rise in international cricket has caught the attention of cricketing greats,...
New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted India's capability to efficiently organize large-scale...
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A selection of the best press photos from Xinhua. A drone photo taken on Feb. 27, 2025 shows the construction...
(250301) -- JUBA, March 1, 2025 (Xinhua) -- A nurse from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) South Sudan delegation...
New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard Ship Sachet departed for Sudan on Friday, carrying over two tons of life-saving...
ABUJA, NIGERIA — For longtime automotive importer David Tope, Nigeria's auto market has become increasingly difficult. He used to...