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Earlier this year, Centres across the Northern Zone welcomed the return of the netball season with a series of vibrant Netball is Back Give it a Go (GIAG) Days, designed to introduce young players to the sport and energise returning FutureFERNS.
Getting players to warm up properly in social netball competitions has always been a challenge. Despite efforts to promote its importance, many teams still opt to arrive just in time for the first whistle, skipping warm-ups entirely. But a recent visit to Auckland Netball Centre has sparked change.
Netball Northern is delighted to announce the re-signing of 2024 Northern Marvels Coaches, Melissa Bessell and Ripeka Pirie for the 2025 season, albeit with a slight twist.
Labour Weekend saw the Netball New Zealand’s NZ Secondary Schools four-day camp and Quad tournament, selecting some of the best secondary school players from across the country to put their skills to the test.
In October, Netball Northern held the third of its Centre Connect Series for the year, in both Te Tai Tokerau and Auckland. This three-part series has brought together netball centres, encouraging collaboration, idea-sharing, and support among centres to grow and strengthen netball in the Northern Zone.
Last month Simone Spencer from Aktive led a professional development session for netball centre personnel, providing an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Good Sports.
On Saturday, October 19, Netball Northern held its annual Development Day, gathering 45 talented players along with some of the zone’s up-and-coming umpires and community coaches. This day was packed with skill-building sessions, learning about fitness testing, NetballSmart workshops, specialised coaching sessions, and game time.
This year the Upper North Island Secondary Schools tournament (UNISS) saw over 140 umpires take part, with the support of 17 umpire coaches who were a part of the Netball Northern and Netball WaiBoP Zone Umpire Panels.