The Wits sports’s website encourages students and staff who want to “engage in sport on a recreational or competitive level” to register for a sport club of their choice, but not all sport codes cater to the needs of the students.
Male netball players complain that their skills are not catered for.
Aubrey Mapoulo, 3rd year BAcc, says when he came to wits in 2007, he wanted to sign up for the netball club but after they told him to write his name and number down, he never heard from them.
Mapoulo who also coches and plays for David Webster residence, says his hopes were “to be affiliated with a club in Gauteng” through Wits netball club as he played for the provincial league in Limpopo.
Wits Netball sport officer, Lydia Monyepao, says she is looking at the possibilities of having a male netball team next year.
The challenge this year was that there were about 7 guys who wanted to subscribe and if they could have made a league of about 15/20 people then we could have registered a team, says Monyepao.
3rd year BA student, Olwethu Twalo, who has 15 years experience in netball and obtained his provincial colours in high school expected to be one of the leading male players for Wits netball.
In 2009, while shooting some hoops with his friend in hopes of being recognised by the then coach, they were asked to step off of the court by a man named John. He believes that John was the coach at that time.
Male netball players are allowed to participate internally, in residences, it meant Twalo’s only choice was playing for a residence in 2009. He joined the Esselen residence netball team which was mixed.
Playing with girls doesn’t challenge his skills because guys are fast, says Mapoulo.
Twalo says, “Some girls at JCE had a problem with us, male players, because we were male and good.”
“Netball is perceived as a female and gay
sport,” says Mapoulo. Some guys who play volleyball have approached him, wanting to start a netball team for guys because they too can play netball.
