Zanele Mdodana is eager to make her mark in her new position

Having returned from conducting coaching clinics in Saudi Arabia, the former Proteas captain recently crossed paths with the head coach Jenny Van Dyk for the first time since assuming her new role, during the regional Africa Under-21 netball qualifiers at the University of Pretoria.

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This encounter has left Mdodana enthusiastic about her opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of the Proteas.

''It has taken me some time to take it all in, but I'm extremely happy and blessed to have been given this opportunity to contribute  toward the success of netball in our country.

Obviously having played the game and having been there, understanding what the mandate is - which is to make sure that we become top three in the world and that we are consistently competitive,'' said Mdodana

Mdodana experienced significant success during her tenure with the University of Stellenbosch, also known as Maties, where she played a pivotal role in enhancing their structures within the Varsity Netball competitions and the University Sport South Africa (USSA) championships.

However, she eventually decided to step down from her position to dedicate her attention to her new role as assistant coach for the Proteas.

''I started being a serious coach 7 years ago, when I joined the University of Stellenbosch Maties team. I think we had started from nowhere and built it up and found a good team culture to be successful,'' added Mdodana

Mdodana credits her coaching growth with building Maties from the ground up and transforming them into a formidable force in University Netball.

''I think that experience of taking a team from nowhere to somewhere is something that I have learned over the past 7 years,'' she concluded.

Netball South Africa (NSA) dispatched her on a mission to support the budding Saudi Arabia netball initiative for three months.

Following this assignment, she was appointed as an assistant coach in her new role.

Mdodana, meeting Jenny Van Dyk for the first time since her appointment on Sunday, will engage in discussion with the head coach and representatives from Netball South Africa (NSA) throughout the week at the Under-21 regional Africa World Cup qualifiers in Tshwane, outlining their plans moving forward.