Wonder-Women Win Hearts and Minds in South Africa: South Africa Hockey and Netball Tour 2023

This summer 27 girls from the Fifth Form, Lower and Upper Sixth travelled to South Africa for a trip of a lifetime on their Hockey and Netball Tour.  

Arriving in Johannesburg, we started by visiting the Apartheid Museum to learn about the history of the country and gain a better understanding of the culture.  A theme park experience of rollercoasters and rides followed, before heading to our first hotel for some much-needed rest.  

 The following day we were treated to a performance hockey session led by South African Indoor coach Justin Rosenburg. This was a fantastic opportunity to hone our skills ahead of our first match later that day against Redhill School which, after a great start with lots of possession, we won 5-1.  Next up was a performance netball session at the high-performance centre, led by ex-Protea player, Martha. We then had two very tight netball matches for both the Firsts and Seconds, in which both lost very narrowly to Redhill. 

The following morning we learned about the Dutch influence in South Africa at the Voortrekker monument before our second round of hockey matches, this time versus Roedean School. It was a fantastic opportunity for all players to shine; it was great to see so many girls return to the hockey pitch, as whilst on tour all girls represent both sports equally. Both games were very competitive, and it was great to get to know the players after the game.

The next day the girls were bubbling with excitement for our adventure to Mabula Game Lodge. For the majority of the the tour party, it was their first experience of a safari, and everyone eagerly awaited their first drive later that evening. The highlight of the next day’s early-morning drive was being within a few metres of three female lions eating their zebra breakfast. After this the girls enjoyed some relaxation time by the pool, an optional fitness session on the court and some lighthearted team bonding aqua aerobics in the outdoor pool. The evening safari was to find elephants and, after a lot of searching through a wilder part of the bush, we found the elephants and were even lucky enough to see them eating right in front of us.

Next, we returned to Pretoria for our second round of netball matches. All three teams thoroughly enjoyed these, especially getting to know the opposition at the end and running through their “thank you” tunnel. An early dinner and some shopping at the Menlyn Shopping Centre finished off a fabulous day and the girls headed to the hotel for an early night, ready to catch their flight to Cape Town and the second leg of the tour the next day. On arrival, we boarded our coach and met our fantastic driver Keith, who guided us around his hometown, before arriving in Stellenbosch for the evening. The girls enjoyed exploring the beautiful town before tucking into mouthwatering stone baked pizzas.

Next up were our hockey fixtures against Paarl Gim School. We played surrounded by beautiful scenery of mountains and sunshine, but unfortunately both teams were unable to win their matches. We did throughly enjoy our post-match entertainment and hosting before setting off to The Goedgedacht Trust, where we were based for the next two nights. There we learnt how the Trust are helping the local villagers, educating adults to improve their employability, feeding the local villages, and providing a free childcare facility for those who worked in the local villages. Despite the rain postponing our netball matches against the Path onto Prosperity (POP) girls, both parties were able to spend the afternoon on the courts, teaching and learning new games, dances, and languages. We also donated a full set of King’s netball dresses and other items such as trainers were presented, to be used for future netball games. Later that evening we throughly enjoyed hosting the POP girls for dinner and learning more about their culture and lifestyles. Special mention must go to Amy R, who treated everyone to an opera performance, showing off her incredible talents.

During our stay at the Trust, we also visited the kindergarten. Our first job was to the paint the walls, and all the girls enjoyed leaving their mark to try to inspire the young children. The children joined us outside, painting and printing their hands on the wall. We then showed off our dance skills, which the children all appreciated, before they taught us some African nursery rhymes.

An action-packed few days were ahead of us, with further netball and hockey fixtures v Lange Township, Edgemead and Strand High School, a trip up to the top of Table Mountain, a surf lesson and a 14-course meal at Gold Restaurant, enjoyed with South African music, dance and face-painting.

Sadly, the South Africa tour was coming to an end, and it was time to head home. All of the girls enjoyed a spectacular tour and have many inspiring stories to tell their peers on their return. A special mention must go to our tour leader, Mrs McGinley, who was sadly leaving us on our return home.

Katie Collins: Teacher of PE