Netball - a game for all

“My greatest challenge has to be girls not accepting that I can play netball with them, because they think my stamina and energy puts them at a disadvantage. But netball is a sport for everyone. It’s a mental game more than anything,” says Siduie.

“What is that guy doing there? That was my natural reaction when I saw him walking on to the netball court,” said Yandisa Qwabe, a student watching an in-house tournament at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). “It was the first time I witnessed a male playing a female-dominated sport with girls. It was very unusual, but I was fascinated.”

Mimi Mthethwa, President for Netball South Africa, says, “Netball is a game for both girls and boys. For competition and formal matches no mixed teams are allowed, but a club can have mixed teams during their practice sessions.”

South African netball rules do not allow men and women to play together in official matches. However, they can play together in Action netball (indoor matches) where the rules are modified.

Nangamso Hlanginise, a netball player for the Western Cape Province, said: “I don’t see anything wrong with him being passionate about playing netball and chasing his dreams, and at the same time being a role model for other guys who want to play and other people who have dreams that might somehow seem impossible.”

Siduie, who is a versatile player, can play goal defence, wing defence and goalkeeper. His passion and instinct for the game led to him playing for Northlink College Men’s Team, Western Cape Men’s Team, and before that Mkhulu Diamonds, a netball team from Mpumalanga.

Asanda Ntlakanipho, a student from CPUT who was also watching the tournament, said: “He gets an unfair advantage against female players because he is a man, taller and stronger, so for that reason I don’t think he should play with females.”

“Most of the time, girls are always on my case, saying that I overplay. But that is not the truth”, said Siduie. “I refuse to rest on my laurels, which is why I constantly challenge myself and improve my game.”