Karla Pretorius enjoying coaching role with Mangaung at national championships

Pretorius was in Glasgow just last week, where she played a key role in helping the Proteas secure a fifth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games. 

After returning from Scotland, she travelled straight to the Western Cape to join Mangaung’s technical team for netball’s premier domestic tournament.

The experienced goal defence admitted the transition happened almost overnight, but says she has embraced the challenge and is already learning valuable lessons about leadership, coaching, and managing a team at a major national event.

Mangaung have made an encouraging start under her guidance, winning four matches, drawing one, and losing one so far in the competition.   

"Yes, so we had to make a quick adaption going from being a player and then straight into the sport championship. You're also taking off that player cap and putting on the coaching cap but I mean coaching has always been part of what I do so it was a quick and easy transition," said Pretorius

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"I mean we knew what was going to happen now after the Commonwealth Games and we prepared ourselves for that and I'm really enjoying coaching and bringing this group to the sport champs."

Pretorius says she is working with a talented group of players, but believes consistency and concentration will be crucial if Mangaung are to challenge for top honours.

She wants her side to stay focused for the full 60 minutes and avoid losing control of matches after building strong leads.

The Free State Crinums star, who won this year’s Telkom Netball League title alongside her mentor Martha Mosoahle, says the respected coach has had a huge influence on her development.

Mosoahle is currently leading Botswana at the national senior championships in Cape Town, and Pretorius says she continues to learn from her willingness to share knowledge and support younger coaches.

At 36 years old, Pretorius says coaching has always been part of her long-term vision, even while she was still playing professionally.

She enjoys working from the sidelines and believes guiding and motivating players is something she would love to continue doing in the future.

Pretorius also revealed that she already holds a national level coaching qualification and is determined to grow steadily in the profession.

She says she is prepared to work her way from the bottom to the top as she builds her coaching career step by step.