Free State Crinums captain, Karla Pretorius is one of the most revered defenders in netball. Her ability to think quick on her feet is always a difference in the defensive circle of her team.
However, her journey started at the bottom. Little league netball where she fell in love with the game, alongside her sister, Tanya von Berg (née Mostert). They played the sport together until university where they both played for the University of the Free State. Netball took her around the world representing South Africa with the Spar Proteas and in professional clubs in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Pretorius believes she has accomplished all she sought to.
“Right now, I see my netball career as complete in the best way. I’ve achieved what I set out to, and that gives me a real sense of freedom. I step onto court with pride, contentment, and gratitude. There’s nothing to lose, only an opportunity to give everything I have, every single time. From a very young age, I dreamed of playing on the big stage. That dream turned into goals, and those goals turned into daily commitment. With the support of incredible people around me, I was able to grow, push through challenges, and eventually live out that dream,” says Pretorius
Her career has started to transition. The former Team Bath start is not only on the court as a player, she has also began coaching. She is currently the director of netball at Hoërskool Fichardtpark in Bloemfontein. She says coaching has given her a different perspective about the sport.
“Starting coaching has added a whole new layer to my netball understanding. It’s pushed me to think deeper, to see the game differently, and to lead with more intention.
I try to balance being a player and a coach, I get to apply what I coach on court, and at the same time, I see the game through a coach’s lens. The detail, the decisions, the bigger picture. It’s makes me more aware and probably more connected to the game. I’m not just playing anymore, I’m understanding, teaching, and living it in a completely different way,” she says.
Pretorius won three back-to-back Telkom Netball League titles with the Crinums before starting her professional career overseas, when she returned in 2024, she helped the team go top of the podium again. After sitting out of the sport in 2025, she is back and captaining the team.
“I’m intentional in how I lead on court. It’s always about the team and creating space for each player to thrive. And I believe I lead by example: working hard, playing with intensity, and constantly looking for ways to bring out the best in my teammates. Furthermore we know the grind. We know the work and we won’t give up until we bring the title home,” she says.
She took an unexpected time away from the sport in 2025. She says although her time away came with some challenges, she was able to recharge.
“My time off the court was centred around my work and my family, in many ways, it was a period of recharging and resetting. The plan was to grow our family, but life didn’t unfold the way we had hoped. That experience shifted things for me and ultimately led to me returning to the court sooner than I originally planned. Looking back, that time gave me perspective. It wasn’t just a break, it shaped how I came back,” she explains.
The former Sunshine Coast Lightning says this season’s #TelkomStandTall: From First Pass to Crown as applies to her personal life as well. Being able to come back to self after being down taking sometime out and competing at a high level is a definition of standing tall.
“I had to fight my way back, physically and emotionally.
November 2025 was one of the lowest points I’ve ever faced. I was at my most unfit, and mentally in a deep hole but this chapter of my journey will not be defined by the outcome.
It will be defined by the courage to start again. The hard work I put in every day, and the attitude I chose to show up with, even when it was tough. The determination to give myself a chance to play another TNL and to get back on court playing good netball, that’s what this means to me because sometimes, showing up, competing, and still performing is the real victory,” she explains.
Pretorius, someone who has seen the league evolve from the 10 team when it was launched in 2014, she reckons that South Africa has can successfully have a professional league.
“Teams are getting better every year and so is the competition. We have the capability to grow this into a professional league,” she says.
SUPPLIED.
