Feeling the Netball World Cup pressure is a privilege - Nicola Smith

She says she’s happy not only to showcase her talent but also to play in front of her family.

In a heartfelt gesture, Smith bought tickets for her family, ensuring they could watch her playing in the World Cup at the International Convention Centre in her hometown in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August.

Being chosen in Coach Norma Plummer’s World Cup squad is a boost for Smith, she insists she’s feeling the pressure but knows that she’s privileged to be selected to represent her country.   

"If I could tell you how hard we've been training the past year, every single training camp we had and to be selected as the top 15 that is going to represent this country and get to wear that green and gold dress is really an amazing feeling," she said.

"To play in front of my grandpa and my dad at home, I wasn't able to have them with me at Quad Series to watch that game. They actually don't know this yet but I bought them tickets for the World Cup games. Thank Goodness, I made it otherwise I would have had to watch it with them. Like I said earlier, you feel the pressure but this pressure is a privilege, it's something that only 15 of us get to feel."

In 2022, Smith achieved a remarkable feat by leading Maties (Stellenbosch University) to victory in the Varsity Netball championship. In front of her home crowd, she helped her team beat the University of North West 68-55.

She has always dreamed of watching big matches in Cape Town growing up. She is preparing to play in a tournament, where the crowd will be the biggest, she has ever seen on the court.

"I think it will mean the world not just to our team but to everyone in South Africa playing netball. Every Capetonian that will be able to be out there watching us. I don't think ever as a child I was able to watch South Africa play against the top teams in the world," she said.

"I think I got to watch one game and it was a warm-up game that they had played against Scotland many years ago. I think for all of the young girls who are going to be able to watch us play it's definitely gonna be an eye-opener."