Bastion’s Zackey back on netball court after two years
Leigh-Ann Zackey returns from retirement.
Former Hoërskool Bastion pupil from the class of 2000 and long-time Spar Protea stalwart Leigh-Ann Zackey has made a welcome return to netball, two years after bidding the game farewell.
Thirty-one-year-old Zackey retired from netball after the World Netball Championships in Singapore in 2011, but made a surprise return to the sport at the Spar National Championships at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg, playing for Dr Kenneth Kaunda (formerly North West South).
“What brought me back? Dorette Badenhorst,” laughed Zackey.
Badenhorst is the Dr Kenneth Kaunda coach, and Zackey has been helping her as assistant coach, particularly when Badenhorst, also the national U/21 coach, is away on national duty.
“I have really connected with the girls, and have been having fun with them, so when Dorette suggested that I play with them, I thought ‘why not?’. They are a wonderful group of players – they have their feet firmly on the ground, and they have such passion for the game. They are thrilled to have me in the team and I am really enjoying playing netball again,” she said.
“When I played for Gauteng North, they had a number of Spar Proteas in the team, but Kenneth Kaunda are an underdog team, and I am loving playing with them.
“I always said I didn’t miss playing netball, but I got goose bumps when I stepped onto the court on Monday.”
Zackey admitted that the prospect of playing in the proposed Netball Premier League (NPL), which Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has said will be under way by the end of this year, was also an incentive for her return to the sport.
“I took part in trials for the North West NPL team, and was accepted. It’s a great incentive to get back into netball, and I think it will do wonders for the standard of netball in South Africa.
“The more competitive netball we play, the better we will all become,” she said.
Zackey did not rule out trying to regain her position as goalkeeper or goal defence in the Spar Proteas squad.
“I know I will have to train a lot harder and get a lot fitter, but I am prepared to put in the hard work,” she said.
“Playing here is just the first step on the ladder. We’ll see how far I can go.”
Zackey said age was not necessarily a factor.
“There is not really an age limit. Some of the overseas teams have players who are almost 40. What you lose in mobility, you make up in experience,” she said.
Asked about her team’s prospect at the championships, Zackey said they were definitely aiming for gold.
“There is no point if you don’t aim high,” she said.
“We are planning to finish top of our pool, and then win our semifinal.”
