Jenny van Dyk, the "Coach with the Midas Touch", is now up to her new challenge after she is appointed the new SPAR Proteas head coach.

When announcing that Van Dyk is the new national head coach, Cecilia Molokwane (Netball South Africa President) said, "Jenny has won everything under the sun. It made sense to appoint her."

The UP-Tuks alumna could not stop smiling when Molokwane handed her Protea blazer.

"I have waited so long to wear the Protea blazer. I got to thank family, friends, players and administrators for believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dream."

Van Dyk singled out the University of Pretoria, saying they had set her up to succeed.

She was also praised for how Norma Plummer, the former Protea head coach Norma Plummer, guided her.

"I was an analyst for the Protea team when Norma started to coach them. One day, Norma asked me whether I saw my future in netball as an analyst or a coach. I immediately replied I want to coach. She encouraged me to do so.

"Norma has made a massive contribution to South African netball, setting a lot in place. It means I don't have to reinvent the wheel. Norma may not know it, but I will often phone her for advice."

As to Zanele Mdodana being appointed her assistant coach, Van Dyk said, "It will be an honour to work with her. She was head coach at Maties for seven years, and I was at Tuks for 14 years. Everyone knows about the rivalry between our two universities. I had my work cut out to have a game plan to outsmart Maties.

"If we can make this work, there is no reason why everyone from every region can't work with us to chase our dream. That is to get the Proteas to play to the best of their abilities.

"Everybody needs to understand it will never be for me about Jenny van Dyk. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It will take a country to grow a winning team.

"I have always been inspired by the Springbok's success. If they can do it, so can we. Professionalism is not only about money. It is about the way you do things."

Van Dyk is a self-ascribed forever student of netball. According to her, the day she thinks she knows everything there is to know is when Van Dyk will retire because then she is bound to fail. The players she coaches tell you Van Dyk never leaves anything to chance. For her, success is about hard work and dedication.

Saying that she has perfected the art of winning is not an understatement. Van Dyk has the distinction of having coached the Jaguars to five consecutive victories in the National Netball League.

Last year, Tuks was victorious in the Varsity Netball tournament, winning nine games on the trot. It is the second time Van Dyk has coached Tuks to be unbeaten throughout the tournament. The same happened in 2019. She has also coached Tuks to win the USSA Netball Championships and teams to win the SPAR National Netball Champs.

In December 2022, she guided the Botswana national netball team to win the Singapore Nations Cup. Last year, Van Dyk was the manager for South Africa picking up silver at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.