Netball SA hoping to beat New Zealand for right to host 2023 World Cup

Netball SA (NSA) is hoping to beat New Zealand for the right to host the 2023 World Cup‚ a timeous victory that would boost morale after losing the title sponsor for its premier league.

The federation’s president and chief executive told journalists in Johannesburg on Wednesday that it expected to hear within the next few weeks if their bid to stage the showpiece in Cape Town had succeeded.

A decision by the International Netball Federation is expected by March at the latest.

The projected cost of hosting the 16-team competition in Cape Town at the city’s convention centre is R68m‚ but would generate a total spend of R2.5b.

New Zealand‚ Australia and England have hosted the tournament the most often‚ with the 15th edition later in 2019 being the ninth combined event between the three.

Singapore and Jamaica have hosted it twice each and Scotland and Trinidad and Tobago once apiece.

“We haven’t had a World Cup‚” said NSA chief executive Blanche De La Guerre‚ adding they had pulled out all the stops.

“If we don’t get it‚ we’ll never get it.”

President Cecilia Molokwane said the department of Sport and Recreation had signed the required guarantee for the bid.

The proposed legacy project would include developing the game in Africa‚ which already boasts three national teams in the world’s top 10 — SA at fifth‚ Malawi sixth and Uganda seventh.

On the premier league‚ which NSA wants to use to develop players for the 2023 event‚ especially if it’s in Cape Town‚ Molokwane said they had been looking for a company to fill the void of SAB‚ which had withdrawn its Brutal Fruit sponsorship at the end of last year.

“There will be a premier league this year‚” said Molokwane‚ adding an announcement on the 2019 premier league would be made by mid-March.