Proteas' Elmere van der Berg relishing maiden Netball World Cup

At just 22 years old, van der Berg finds herself in awe, still unable to believe that she has secured a spot in coach Norma Plummer’s 15-player World Cup squad. 

The highly anticipated tournament, featuring 16 countries, is scheduled to take place at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August.

"It's a huge privilege and honour to be part of the selected World Cup squad, and to be able to put that dress over your head and wear it with pride when we go out on court," van der Berg told SABC Sport.

"I enjoyed every bit of [the pre-selection camp], it's like my second family. Going to camp and being with the players every day for however long the camp will be at that certain stage, it's a huge privilege and I enjoy playing with the best netball players in SA."

The mere thought of the World Cup gives van der Berg goosebumps, however, she wants to assure fans that her country possesses the potential to reach the podium at this prestigious global championship.

"It's a mix of being both nervous and excited, because nervous is from not knowing what to expect, you don't know how it's going to work, and the excited part is to explore everything that's going to happen," she added.

"But I think you can expect a lot [from the Proteas]. We've worked very hard for the last few years leading up to the World Cup here in South Africa, and I think we are ready to put on a great show and end on the podium because it's our home ground."