With a new-look management team, a blend of experienced players and emerging talent, TuksNetball is aiming to make its mark as the country’s premier university netball competition returns.
Pretoria, South Africa (19 August 2026) – The wait is almost over. Varsity Netball is back, and TuksNetball is heading into the 2026 season with a fresh look and plenty of ambition.
The country’s premier university netball competition returns this month, bringing together eight of South Africa’s top university teams in a tournament that combines high-level competition with the energy and excitement that has become synonymous with Varsity Netball.
As teams battle it out across the competition, the big question will be: who will be crowned the 2026 champions?
For TuksNetball, the answer will hopefully come through a campaign built around experience, emerging talent and a new-look management team led by head coach Amanda Mynhardt.
“This group is ready,” says Mynhardt. “We have leaders who know what it takes to win at Varsity Netball and young players who are hungry to make their mark. Our mix gives us versatility, power and resilience. We are excited to get started and to represent the Stripe with pride.”
That blend of experience and youth will be central to TuksNetball’s campaign, with established players joined by newcomers looking to make their mark at one of the country’s biggest university sporting competitions.
The action gets underway with TuksNetball facing Kovsies in their opening fixture, before they go head-to-head with defending champions and neighbours NWU later in the same weekend.
The clash with NWU is expected to provide an early indication of where TuksNetball stands, while adding another chapter to the rivalry between the neighbouring universities.
For Riana Bezuidenhout, Acting Head of Programme at TuksNetball, the influence of Varsity Netball stretches well beyond the final whistle.
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With national broadcast coverage, eight leading universities and a festival atmosphere surrounding each round, the 2026 competition promises plenty of action both on and off the court.
And with the defending champions standing in their way early on, the 2026 Varsity Netball season certainly won’t be short of drama.
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