Jenny van Dyk: Inclusion of Zambezi Eagles and Malawi U21 adds value to the local league

The Malawi national side will be taking part in the competition for the first time, while the Eagles return for their second stint in the league.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Van Dyk said the move is important for the growth of netball across the continent, adding that it also benefits local teams by exposing them to different styles of play.

"Zambezi Eagles, you know, we saw them in the competition last year, they really did fantastic and it's twofold. On the one side it's important for South Africa to assist our sisters out there and to help all the other African countries to develop their netball, but secondly, you know for our players to get opportunities to play against different styles of netball. It's crucial for us," said van Dyk

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"So instead of just getting our top national players to play against the different styles we now have provincial players playing against all these teams. The second team coming in is the Malawi under-21 team also a team that has really been working hard to get themselves back in a position to we used to see them so a good step for them in order to develop and advance."

Van Dyk further praised the Eagles for the impact they made in their debut campaign, saying they added value to the competition and tested some of the top sides.

The 43-year-old mentor expects a highly competitive season, noting that she is eager to see what the younger players will bring to the league. She also welcomes newly promoted Division A side, Kingdom Stars.