Proteas coach Jenny van Dyk aims to beef her technical team

South Africa travelled to Glasgow with a clear goal of reaching the semi-finals, but they fell short and ended in fifth place. 

Speaking to SABC Sport in Cape Town, where she is scouting talent at the Spar Senior Netball Championships at Stellenburg High School, Van Dyk admitted that several areas in the national setup need improvement.

"Yes, there is a need, I think we want a little bit more mentorship for our players especially position specific mentorship and I think we still need a little bit more technical and tactical assistance within our defensive circle, that's something that we've identified and that's something that we want to beef up a little bit,” van Dyk said. 

“Overall our analytical part of it, the turn around time on really getting less those games coded and getting a team to a position where in 24 hours you have to play your next match, that's something that we've identified that we can do better at. So, that's definitely where we'll look for assistance."

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The experienced coach, who enjoyed great success with the Jaguars in the Telkom Netball League, says one of the biggest challenges at national level is not having daily access to her players.

Unlike at franchise level, where she worked with players throughout the season and won multiple league titles, Van Dyk says managing the Proteas requires a different approach because the players are spread across various teams and competitions.

"The biggest test I think it's becoming used to not being in a position where I'm constantly on the netball court sharpening up and working with the players day in, day out,” the coach added. 

“I think for my entire life I've been a coach that works every night until 20:30 and works every weekend and coaches around the clock and works with the players. “That for me has been the biggest challenge in the national position is not having players at my disposal 24/7, so that we can get them to really do what we want them to build in that way. 

“Unfortunately, that's the way it goes when you are a national team coach but that has been a challenge for me, it feels like you just have to literally start your season jumping into a Commonwealth Games without a lot of opportunities to really get your mind in the right position and firing."