Van der Berg’s defining lesson

By Stephanie Smarrelli
 

“Nothing will be handed to you on a silver plate.”  

At least, that’s the motto Elmeré van der Berg stands by. 

The South African goaler has been raised on the phrase, and it’s been etched in her mind as her career continues to build.   

The 24-year-old is no stranger to taking a leap of faith.  

Hailing from a country town just outside of Bloemfontein (south of Johannesburg), she’s travelled a long way to further her netball career with a stint in the UK Super League before arriving on Australian shores. 

Van der Berg describers her family as large but tight knit valuing their religion above all else, hard work, respect for others and never giving up. 

Those values are instilled deeply in the heart of the goaler and they're why she keeps saying yes to new opportunities.  

"I was a bit scared to go,” she confessed reflecting on her first international move. 

“But when I arrived in England, it was fun. 

“I enjoyed my netball so much, now it's easy to get on a plane and fly somewhere.”  

There’s one reason her decision to move to the Thunderbirds for 2026 was a no brainer. 

“I had the two years in England, where I could have settled my netball a bit but having the opportunity to come to the Thunderbirds made my decision easier,” she said.  

“I want to grow my game even more and there's nowhere better than Australia to grow my netball.”  

While excited to explore Adelaide and get to know her new teammates, there’s one thing Van der Berg is most looking forward to. 

“I'm excited to actually step out on court and play an SSN game for the first time,” she said. 

“It's a really awesome team and everyone has made Kate and I feel at home.” 

Van der Berg is looking forward to taking her game to new heights. 

“To be able to recognise different situations on court and have a plan for how to play out those different situations,” she said. 

“SSN is a good learning curve for me to bring more variation into my play. 

“I want to develop more in goal attack, I haven't played goal attack in a very long time so to have variation in the shooting circle will be good.” 

The goaler is also excited for the opportunities she’ll have week in, week out against the world’s best during matches and training. 

“Latanya [Wilson] and Shamera [Sterling-Humphrey] are going to challenge me mentally and physically a lot.” she said. 

“Training against them will only make me a better player because I need to use my smarts to be able to outplay them and make it difficult for them to get the ball from me. 

“I'm going to step away as a whole different shooter because of the high intensity training, the physicality and playing against different types of defenders throughout the year.”  

While looking forward to representing the Thunderbirds, Van der Berg is excited to pull on a different coloured dress this year as well. 

“I'm excited for our South African team,” she said. 

"The coaches got a lot done with us over the last few years. 

“We’ve really grown as a team, I’m excited to see what we can deliver against England at the end of January because we're in a good space as a team and want to be competitive against the top four.” 

Van der Berg admitted coming up against the Origin Diamonds last year wasn’t easy. 

“It was quite tough,” she said.  

“Prior to the series, I hadn't played them since the Commonwealth Games in 2022.  

"They grew a lot in their netball; it was a good learning curve for me to be able to go out against the Australian players before I play SSN every week against them this year.”  

To focus on her netball, the goaler has made some personal sacrifices.  

“I worked at a school for two years, but I resigned in December to completely focus on netball,” she said. 

“While I was in England, I worked online and would send everything through for the kids. 

“I'll go back into teaching when I'm done with netball, it's difficult to give your full attention to the kids and help them achieve their best while you’re not there.”  

Van der Berg’s passion for teaching stems back to her own experiences.  

“I love working with all the children to see them understand something and have fun in my class,” she said. 

 
"I'm only six years out of school now, I remember how it was when I was in school so I tried to create an environment for them to look forward to coming to class and to enjoy it and have fun.”  

While no longer teaching, the goaler still serves as Netball Director of another school in South Africa and enjoys giving back to the community in that way. 

The other sacrifice Van der Berg’s had to make is one she’s more accustomed to. 
 
“My dog, we spend a lot of time together, but this is the third year I’m leaving her behind in South Africa,” she said. 

“It’s quite tough, she’s not impressed with me but I’m lucky my dad is very close to her; she’s with him all the time now. 

“It’s good to know I'm not leaving her alone when I get on a plane.”