Northern Cape netball leader is helping young girls discover confidence, skills and a lasting love for the sport through PEP mini Netball
Seen Here: Building more than players — she’s building a legacy. Roleen Van Niekerk, Provincial Manager of the Northern Cape Schools Netball Committee, is helping young girls discover the joy of netball through PEP mini Netball, while empowering the teachers and coaches who will shape the sport’s future. For her, every smile, lesson and young player is part of a legacy that goes far beyond the court. Photo Credit: Supplied
For Roleen Van Niekerk, netball is about far more than what happens between the lines of a court.
It is about children finding confidence, discovering their abilities, learning to work with others and, most importantly, finding joy in sport.
As Provincial Manager of the Northern Cape Schools Netball Committee under South African Schools Netball (SASN), Van Niekerk has spent years helping shape the development of school-level netball. Her involvement in PEP mini Netball brings together two enduring passions: working with children and growing the sport she loves.
With almost three decades of experience as a teacher, Van Niekerk has witnessed countless young people develop from uncertain learners into confident individuals.
“Being a teacher for almost 30 years is an adventure every day and comes with some challenges. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing how kids grow each day and develop their own personalities,” she says.
That philosophy is reflected in her work on the netball court.
Building the game from the ground up
PEP mini Netball was launched in 2023 in partnership with SASN as a grassroots programme designed to introduce young girls to netball at an early age. The initiative focuses on U7, U8 and U9 players, with an emphasis on fun, participation, fundamental skills and confidence rather than results and trophies.
For Van Niekerk, that approach is particularly important.
At this stage of a young player’s development, the objective is not necessarily to identify the next provincial or national star. It is to create an environment where children feel comfortable on the court, learn the fundamentals and develop a genuine relationship with the sport.
And sometimes, the clearest measure of success is simply a child’s smile.
Van Niekerk says one of the most rewarding aspects of PEP mini Netball is watching the young U7 and U9 players experience the excitement of festivals, take to the court and leave with smiles on their faces.
Their enthusiasm — and even their gratitude when receiving gifts at the end of the day — has reinforced for her how meaningful these experiences can be.
The coach behind the players
While the young players are at the centre of the programme, Van Niekerk believes the adults developing them are equally important.
Her work extends to teachers and coaches, helping them strengthen their understanding of the game and develop the confidence to pass that knowledge on to young players.
It is a responsibility she embraces with pride — even when it earns her the affectionate nickname “PEP tannie.”
For Van Niekerk, the title represents much more than familiarity at the festivals. It reflects the relationships built through the programme and her role in supporting the people who are shaping the next generation.
PEP’s programme has also expanded beyond festivals through its Aim High Coaching Sessions, introduced in 2024 to equip grassroots coaches with foundational coaching skills. The national programme includes coaching sessions in all nine provinces.
That development component aligns closely with Van Niekerk’s belief that sustainable sporting development requires investment in both players and coaches.
Passing knowledge forward
For a teacher with nearly 30 years of experience, the idea of knowledge being passed from one generation to another is particularly powerful.
Van Niekerk finds fulfilment in seeing teachers and coaches take what they have learned, apply it in their own environments and become more confident in their roles.
In that sense, her impact does not end when a festival does.
The knowledge she shares can move from one coach to dozens of young players, creating a ripple effect that continues long after the original lesson has been delivered.
That is perhaps the most meaningful part of her contribution: helping others become capable of helping others.
SASN’s broader development philosophy similarly places emphasis on giving children opportunities to participate at grassroots level and develop fundamental netball skills.
More than a game
For young girls, programmes such as PEP mini Netball can provide more than an introduction to sport.
They create spaces where children can interact with peers, learn teamwork, develop discipline and build confidence in their own abilities.
PEP says its mini Netball festivals are designed to introduce girls to the sport while helping them develop self-esteem, with festivals hosted across all nine provinces.
For Van Niekerk, these outcomes are visible in the small moments: a young player stepping onto the court for the first time, a coach gaining confidence, a child discovering that she can do something she was previously afraid to try.
Those moments may appear small, but collectively they can shape a child’s relationship with sport for years to come.
Building a legacy through others
Van Niekerk’s ambitions for the programme extend beyond its current reach.
She hopes to see PEP mini Netball continue reaching more young girls while creating additional opportunities for teachers and coaches to develop alongside them.
Her vision is ultimately about sustainability — ensuring that the knowledge, confidence and passion developed through the programme continue to spread.
For someone who has spent much of her life teaching, that represents a powerful form of legacy.
The players she encourages, the teachers she supports and the coaches she develops can each carry something forward.
And perhaps that is where Van Niekerk finds the greatest joy in the game: not simply in seeing young girls play netball today, but in knowing that the lessons learned on those courts can continue to influence the players, coaches and communities of tomorrow.
Because sometimes the greatest victory in grassroots sport is not the score on the board — it is giving a child a reason to fall in love with the game.
