Fan's Guide to Netball South Africa Telkom Netball League All Ages 2026

The 2026 league was played in three power weeks at central venues:

• Each division plays a double round robin: every team plays every other team in its division twice.
• In 2026, teams from Malawi and Zimbabwe joined as a 17th team in power weeks 1 and 2.
• The top 4 in each log then go into the play-offs.

In the round-robin stage:

There's no extra time in round-robin matches, so draws stand. The log also shows goals for (GF), goals against (GA) and goal difference (GD) for each team.

After the round-robin stage, the top 4 teams on the log go into the play-offs:

Teams lower down also play placement matches: 5th v 6th, and 7th v 8th, for those exact positions.

A play-off match that is level at full time goes to extra time (two 7-minute halves). If it's still level after that, play continues until one team leads by 2 goals.

The league has two divisions with promotion and relegation:

• The team finishing 7th (last) in Division A plays a relegation match against the team finishing 1st in Division B.

Division B also has its own play-offs and champion. In 2026 the Western Cape Tornados won Division B, with KZN Kingdom Queens as runners-up.

Teams change ends every quarter. The clock stops for stoppages (for example injuries and Strategic Timeouts), so a match takes longer than 60 minutes in real time.

The 8-minute half-time is the shorter option allowed by the World Netball Rules (the default is 12 minutes).

Round-robin (log) matches: there is no extra time. The draw stands and each team gets 1 log point.

Play-off matches, such as the semi-finals and final, use extra time:

1. A 4-minute interval after full time.
2. Two halves of 7 minutes, with a 1-minute interval between them.
3. If it's still level after the second half, play carries on (extended extra time) until one team is 2 goals ahead.

The Telkom Supershot doesn't apply in extra time or extended extra time, so every goal counts 1 point.

The Telkom Supershot is a scoring period in the last 2 minutes of every quarter.

During that period:

• a goal shot from inside the Telkom Supershot area counts 2 points;
• a goal shot from elsewhere in the goal circle still counts 1 point.

The Supershot does not apply in extra time or extended extra time. Outside the last 2 minutes of each quarter, every goal is worth 1 point as normal.

The Supershot is a Telkom Netball League variation. It isn't part of the standard World Netball Rules.

Under Netball South Africa's Telkom Netball League rules:

• How many: each team gets one Strategic Timeout per match.
• How long: a 1-minute stoppage.
• When: only after a goal and before the next centre pass.

Strategic timeouts are a league variation. They are not part of the standard World Netball Rules.

The league's published rules don't change substitutions, so the World Netball Rules of Netball (2024 edition) apply (Rule 10):

• A team names up to 12 players. Seven are on court, one of whom must play Centre.
• Substitutions and team changes (players swapping positions on court) are unlimited, using players named for the match.
• They can be made:
  • during any interval (quarter-time or half-time);
  • when play is stopped for injury, illness or blood;
  • as a tactical change straight after a goal, when an on-court player asks the umpire to hold time for it. Team officials stay at the bench and the change must be quick, or the team is penalised for delaying play.
• Umpires can refuse tactical change requests that become frivolous.
• If an injured player isn't replaced, play goes on with that position empty (someone must move to Centre if it's the Centre).

Telkom Netball League extra: each team also gets one 1-minute Strategic Timeout a match.

Past winners of the top division, as published by Netball South Africa (the league was the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League until 2019):

The Gauteng Jaguars hold the record with six titles.

Division B winners: Western Cape Tornados (2026) and KwaZulu-Natal Kingdom Stars (2025 and 2024).

2026 Division A awards: Player of the Tournament Nontsikelelo Mazibuko (GS); best shooter Bianca Lubbe (GS); best mid-court player Refiloe Nketsa (C); best defender Karla Pretorius (GD).