Another season of the Telkom Netball League is set to get underway next month and excitement for the tournament is building. Someone who is rather keen to get the new campaign going is none other than the seasoned Nthabiseng Mothutsi.
The well-known netball player called time on her playing career in January this year, but will still be on the court as she was appointed the new coach of the Limpopo Lilies. She has spent years playing at the Limpopo Baobabs where she was also the team captain.
“It’s very exciting to see that they see the potential in me. I have been a player and captain for a very long time and kind of understand how the emotions around it work. I am just so excited to now be able to see things from the technical side of the sport and see how I can lead and influence the players as best as I can.”
New Limpopo Lilies Coach Nthabiseng Mothutsi on her Appointment
Some might say that the turnaround from retiring as a player to coaching is rather a fast one, but Mothutsi feels she is well equipped having had some experience when it comes to coaching. She has spent time in Saudi Arabia where she was able to hone her coaching skills and this proved to be a fruitful experience.
“Luckily I was allowed to work with Saudi Arabia to develop and be with them and just help them with the sport there. It’s helped me a lot, it’s equipped me well enough to take it as much as I can to lead the players from a coaching perspective.”
Mothutsi’s team can be seen as the ‘new kids on the block’. The Lilies were one of two new teams that entered the Telkom Netball League in 2023. It wasn’t the ideal first season for the side as they finished last in the standings. However, their new mentor believes her side has learned a fair amount and will give them all to improve this year.
“The first season they were very young also and I guess quite inexperienced, which I understand. Now they have the feel of what is expected from them in the competition. There is nothing as great as working with young players, they are versatile, and they are willing to learn. I am sure they (the Lillies) won’t want to finish last like they did last year. They are going to give me more than 100% to ensure they end better this year.”
The TNL has certainly put itself among the top netball leagues and Mothutsi echoes this sentiment. She says that the competition gives players much-needed exposure as they look to take their careers to new heights.
“The Telkom Netball League has been an amazing initiative in this country for netball. It has shown us a lot of talent right across the whole country. We are just so grateful not to see everyone play but there is exposure, players are being seen overseas, players are being recognised for the national team. It’s been a great movement for netball players in South Africa and I am pretty sure it will go even higher in the years to come because every year it gets even better!”
Mothutsi also highlighted just how Telkom is putting its ‘money where its mouth is’ and doing all that it can to endorse and empower the players who are taking part in the TNL. The former Baobabs player feels that because Telkom shares their dream, this bodes well for the future of the sport.
“Telkom shows that it loves netball and that’s good for us. Every year they have been renewing their contract with us and that says a lot by itself. It shows that they see what were are trying to do, they see the vision and they are willing to stand by it and endorse the idea and the future that we have in young players.”
“Their financial backing is big because we know these days we can’t do anything without money. They are just ensuring that everything that is needed in netball is there and it makes things much easier. Telkom being the headline sponsors, they ensure that we have everything that we need and we will always be grateful for that”, she added.
Now coming back to Mothutsi’s coaching prowess, while she might not have had much time on the side of the court, she has been coached by some of the best names in the business. She is now hoping that this will hold her in good stead as she starts her journey with the Lilies.
“I have been so blessed to have been coached by so many different coaches with different kinds of styles. I have been coached by men, by women. I have been coached by black, by white, by old, by young. Emily (Mathosa) was my coach last year and she is young, she was good and we related to her at the Baobabs. I have had Jenny van Dyk as my coach and I know she is the strict one, she is the one that wants what she wants and we knew what she wanted as her players. We saw that she wanted it and so did we.
I have had Dumisani Chauke as my coach and she that aggressive one. I have had Victor Seakamela who taught me about netball. He had a soft approach, very understanding and patient. I’ve had Cecilia Molokwane, she was the feisty one! They have all helped me to be the person that I am today.”
While Mothutsi begins her next journey after her many years of experience as a player, she has this advice for the young girls and women who are looking to play in the TNL.
“If you are an aspiring netball player who wants to see herself on the TV screen playing TNL and every other league, just keep going and keep pushing. It might seem like it’s delayed but it’s not final. I have heard a lot of people say no to me many times but I also understood it wasn’t my time, I wasn’t ready.
“Now, that I am ready in every way, everything is just opening up and I am seeing all my hard work pay off. It’s lovely and I am so proud of myself. When you don’t give up, the people around are going to see your hard work and reward you. It never goes unnoticed.”
She might be on a new career path but Mothutsi is dreaming of more for herself now that her playing days are over. She is hoping to one day be in front of a camera on television or a mic on the radio.
“I think I can do a lot of things, I can master anything that I set my mind to but I am very good when it comes to speaking. I think and believe I speak well, so anything in broadcasting, anything on TV or the radio is everything that I aspire to do,” said Mothutsi.
“I never turn down an interview. I am on a journey of trying to merge sports, entertainment, and media, if that happens I will be so happy because that’s the one thing that I want to do. I want to be on TV and speak about sport. Women’s sport still isn’t recognised and God willing I get the opportunity to do that.”
Photo caption: Another season of the Telkom Netball League is set to get underway next month and excitement for the tournament is building. Someone who is rather keen to get the new campaign going is none other than the seasoned Nthabiseng Mothutsi. The well-known netball player called time on her playing career in January this year but will still be on the court as she was appointed the new coach of the Limpopo Lilies. She has spent years playing at the Limpopo Baobabs where she was also the team captain. Photo: Nthabiseng Mothutsi on X
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