News

Over the past two weekends, Netball Northern hosted two successful Development Days across our Zone – one at Netball Waitākere and the other at Bruce Pulman Arena.

The Development Days brought together emerging and aspiring athletes, coaches, and umpires from across the Zone representing netball communities from Mangonui to Waiuku, with these days a crucial part of our commitment to support the next generation of athletes, coaches, and umpires on their performance pathway journey.

Both events were warmly supported by our local Centres, with Netball Waitākere and Papakura Netball Centre providing a welcoming atmosphere and leading the opening Karakia to start each day.

Across the two weekends, 72 athletes (a record number), 16 coaches from the Netball Northern Coach Squad and 18 umpires identified and selected from a wider group came together for a day of high-quality development, connection, and learning. Athletes took part in on-court sessions, NetballSmart education, fitness testing practice, and match play, while coaches and umpires engaged in practical workshops and mentoring led by experienced Zone staff and specialists.

“Players are invited based on scouting throughout the season,” says Pete McInnes, Athlete Development and Pathways Lead, “So it’s a great chance to bring together some of the most promising talent from across our Centres and schools. The focus is on giving them a taste of what performance netball looks like while supporting their growth and helping them take that next step.”

Likewise, coaches and umpires are carefully selected by the Zone based on their development journeys.  

“It’s a great opportunity for our coaches get out and work with this level of player, work with us [Mystics and Marvels coaching team] and Netball Northern staff, be exposed to the next level of coaching, and connect with other coaches in the Zone” says Rob Wright, Assistant Coach of the Northern Mystics.

Sharleen Morrell, Umpire Lead at Netball Northern also adds “Growing our game isn’t just about developing players. It relies just as much on the dedication of our umpires and umpire coaches. We’ve identified a group of emerging umpires who are right at the start of their journey, and these days give them valuable experience and confidence. It’s equally rewarding to see our umpire coaches join us and take their learning back to their Centres to continue building the next wave of officials”

Players described the Development Days as challenging, enjoyable, and full of learning. They valued the chance to understand the performance pathway more clearly while developing on-court skills such as change of direction, contesting, timing, and defensive positioning. Having coaches alongside them during games provided valuable, position-specific feedback and helped them adapt quickly to new teammates. Many also noted how revisiting core basics (stance, movement, and decision-making) lifted their overall play and gave them a clearer sense of what’s required to progress at performance level.

For more Development Day highlights, check out our reel of Day 1 on our social media channels @netballnorthern on Facebook and Instagram.

A special thank you to Meghan Robinson, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes; Sharleen Morrell, Leah Lazarus, Cory Nicholls and Zak Middleton for their umpire support; Tania Heap, Brian Keepa, Tia Winikerei, Rob Wright, Ripeka Pirie, and Melissa Bessell for their work with the coaching team, athlete identification, and tracking; and Amelia Pascoe and Katie Adamson for their NetballSmart delivery. 

As Netball Northern continues to grow its incredible people, these days play a key role in identifying and supporting emerging talent, strengthening our coaching and umpiring networks, and deepening capability across the Zone.

Invites have now gone out for our Summer Training Squad which is designed for our more advanced athletes, including our Northern Marvels and NZ Secondary Schools players, focusing on fundamental skills and athlete habits and coached by Netball Northern performance coaches, as well as coaches from the Mystics and Marvels.