The Premier Netball League is the top level netball league featuring teams from South Africa. It was formed in 2014 and is organised by Netball South Africa. Between 2014 and 2018, due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, the league was known as the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup. Since 2019, the league has been sponsored by Telkom and, as a result, it is widely known as the Telkom Netball League. In 2014, Free State Crinums were the inaugural winners. Gauteng Jaguars are the league's most successful team, having won six titles. The league features two divisions and uses a promotion and relegation format. The winners of the Division Two Shield can gain promotion to Division One by winning a play off.
History Inaugural season
In 2014, Free State Crinums, Eastern Cape Aloes, Gauteng Golden Fireballs, Gauteng Jaguars and North West Flames, became founder members of Division One of the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup. Limpopo Baobabs, together with Southern Stings, Kingdom Stars, Mpumalanga Sunbirds and Northern Cape Diamonds, became founder members of Division Two. Free State Crinums were subsequently the inaugural Division One champions after defeating Jaguars 40–36 in the final. Southern Stings won the inaugural Division Two Shield, after defeating Kingdom Stars 39–31 in the final. Stings went on to gain promotion to Division One after defeating Eastern Cape Aloes 52–40 in a play off.
Free State Crinums Between 2014 and 2016, with teams coached by Burta de Kock, captained by Maryka Holtzhausen and featuring Karla Pretorius, Free State Crinums won three successive titles. On each occasion they defeated Gauteng Jaguars in the final. In 2024, Crinums, with a team coached by Martha Mosoahle-Samm and featuring a returning Pretorius, won a fourth title.
Gauteng Jaguars Between 2017 and 2021, Gauteng Jaguars won five successive titles. In 2017, with a team coached by Jenny van Dyk and captained by Shadine van der Merwe, they won their first title after defeating North West Flames 49–43 in the final. With teams featuring Marlize de Bruin and Izette Griesel, they retained the title in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Gauteng Golden Fireballs, with a team captained by Bongiwe Msomi, because just the third team to win the title when they beat Jaguars 35–32 in the final. However in 2023, Jaguars returned to win their sixth title.
Expansion In 2014, when the league was founded, it featured ten teams divided into two divisions, Division One and Division Two. Each division featured five teams. In 2019, for one season only, three invitational teams – SPAR Smileys, President's Stars and Zimbabwe – played a series of exhibition matches alongside the league program. The former two were effectively home based members of the South Africa women's national team and the South Africa men's national netball team respectively. Zimbabwe used the series as preparation for the 2019 Netball World Cup.
In 2020 two new teams, Kingdom Queens and Western Cape Tornados, were added to Division Two. In 2021, they were joined by Eastern Cape Comets. Ahead of the 2023 season, Free State Sonoblomo and Limpopo Lilies joined Division Two. The league now featured fifteen teams. This also saw Kingdom Stars reinstated in Division One, despite losing the 2022 promotion/relegation play off.
The 2025 Division One will feature two additional teams in the SPAR Baby Proteas and the Zimbabwe.
2026 teams Division A
Team City/Suburb ProvinceEastern Cape Aloes Eastern CapeFree State CrinumsUniversity of the Free StateFree StateGauteng Golden Fireballs GautengGauteng JaguarsUniversity of PretoriaGautengKingdom StarsDurbanKwaZulu-NatalSouthern Stings Western CapeNorth West Flames North West
Division B
Team City/Suburb ProvinceEastern Cape Comets Eastern CapeFree State Sonoblomo Free StateKingdom Queens KwaZulu-NatalLimpopo BaobabsPolokwaneLimpopoLimpopo Lillies LimpopoMpumalanga Sunbirds MpumalangaNorthern Cape Diamonds Northern CapeNorth West Tshukudu North WestWestern Cape Tornadoes Western Cape
Finals Division A Season Winners Score Runners Up Venue2014Free State Crinums40–36Gauteng JaguarsUniversity of Pretoria2015Free State Crinums61–59Gauteng JaguarsUniversity of Pretoria2016Free State Crinums52–43Gauteng JaguarsOlive Centre, Durban2017Gauteng Jaguars49–43North West FlamesMangaung Indoor Centre, Bloemfontein2018Gauteng Jaguars51–43Southern StingsUniversity of Pretoria2019Gauteng Jaguars53–38Southern StingsUniversity of Pretoria2020Gauteng Jaguars38–26Free State CrinumsMangaung Indoor Sports Center, Bloemfontein2021Gauteng Jaguars53–41Southern StingsRustenburg2022Gauteng Golden Fireballs35–32Gauteng JaguarsHeartfelt Arena2023Gauteng Jaguars59–51Free State CrinumsHeartfelt Arena2024Free State Crinums47–46Gauteng JaguarsEllis Park Arena2025Gauteng Golden Fireballs47–40Free State CrinumsDurban ICC
Division B Shield Season Winners Score Runners Up Venue2014Southern Stings39–31Kingdom StarsUniversity of Pretoria2015Kingdom Stars38–35Eastern Cape AloesUniversity of Pretoria2019Kingdom Stars45–43Eastern Cape AloesUniversity of Pretoria 2020Eastern Cape Aloes35–31Kingdom QueensMangaung Indoor Sports Center, Bloemfontein2021Eastern Cape Aloes Western Cape TornadosRustenburg2022Eastern Cape Aloes48–43Mpumalanga SunbirdsHeartfelt Arena 2023Limpopo Baobabs65–40Western Cape TornadosHeartfelt Arena 2024Kingdom Stars37–35Eastern Cape CometsEllis Park Arena2025Kingdom Stars43–33Western Cape TornadosDurban ICC
Promotion/Relegation Season Winners Score Runners Up Venue2014Southern Stings52–40Eastern Cape AloesUniversity of Pretoria2015Gauteng Golden Fireballs Kingdom StarsUniversity of Pretoria2019Kingdom Stars59–57Gauteng Golden FireballsUniversity of Pretoria 2020Kingdom Stars54–30Eastern Cape AloesMangaung Indoor Sports Center, Bloemfontein2021North West Flames49–40Eastern Cape AloesRustenburg2022Eastern Cape Aloes42–39Kingdom StarsHeartfelt Arena2023Limpopo Baobabs55–37Kingdom StarsHeartfelt Arena 2024Limpopo Baobabs65–40Kingdom StarsEllis Park Arena 2025Kingdom Stars60–42Limpopo BaobabsDurban ICC
Sponsorship Sponsors Seasons Brutal Fruit2014–2018Telkom2019–
References
External links Official Website