Nieuwenhuis, F. J.Rademan, Margaretha Lefébre2025-01-082025-01-082024http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12922Dissertation (M.Ed.(Education Management and Leadership))--University of the Free State, 2024Netball in South Africa is a competitive sport with many participants all over the country. It is evident that the sport is growing and that there are sponsors that are eager to get on board. The SPAR Proteas that are the national team of South Africa are currently ranked fifth in the world. Top netball playing countries like Australia, New Zealand and England have their own professional leagues and these players can play the sport professionally. In South Africa, as is the case in most other countries, netball is an amateur sport. Players need to study or work to earn a salary, and they play netball for the love of the game. Netball at secondary school level functions under the auspices of SA Schools Netball (SASN) that annually presents the DSTV Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC) that attracts over 3 500 schools across the country with over 70 000 girls in the Under 19 division taking to the courts in the preliminary stages. The hosting of the Netball World Cup in South Africa was a huge boost for netball. The mentioned statistics underline the fact that there are many schools with talented netball players who do not continue to the senior level. The research explored possibilities of how the dropout of players can be prevented or ameliorated. The central research question was how the transition from junior to senior level netball can be improved. This study examined the management of the transition from junior to senior level netball. This qualitative research study provides insights into the various experiences of provincial and national netball players and their narratives in which they describe other aspects of being a netball player, such as their actions as athletes and their personal beliefs and interests. Employing a case study methodology, primary data was generated using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with five players from a purposefully selected provincial netball team and two South African coaches. In addition, I interviewed seven players from international teams that participated in the World Championships in South Africa. What foregrounds this study’s importance is that it unpacks the reality of how netball players experience and perceive the management of the transition from junior to senior netball in South Africa. The key finding is that the transition from junior to senior netball is not managed nationally and many potentially great athletes are lost in the process. A consistent finding was that financial support, sponsorships and media coverage played a role. There needs to be enough support for every player that has the dream to continue to the senior level and wants to represent their country at the top level.enJunior and senior levelManagementProfessional netballTransitionDissertationUniversity of the Free State