What an incredible week of netball at the Netball New Zealand U18 National Champs held in Dunedin from July 15-18. Netball Mainland was proudly represented by nine teams from various Centre’s, including the debut of the Te Tai O Poutini Combined team from the West Coast, Buller, and Hokitika Netball Centres. Additionally, we had 10 umpires from Mainland in attendance – the second highest number from any Zone in New Zealand. 

The indoor venue provided an excellent environment for both players and umpires to perform at their best, unaffected by external elements. This setting allowed for skilful execution of fundamental skills and quality umpiring that matched the level of play. 

Our umpiring team performed exceptionally well, making it a particularly positive experience for those attending their first tournament at this level. Our umpires, hailing from Nelson to South Canterbury Netball Centres and many in between, demonstrated a high level of consistency and responsiveness to development opportunities, of which Sue James was there representing Mainland on the Umpire Coaching Panel. Special mentions go to Sophie Beverage, who was awarded the Men’s Final and was the reserve for the Women’s Final, and Joanna Sice, who obtained her NZ C Award during the tournament. A huge thank you and congratulations to all our 10 umpires – you did both yourselves and Mainland proud. 

As always, the management teams for Mainland ensured that all participants had a positive experience. For some of our coaches, it was their first national tournament. While it was a fun experience, it was also a very busy time, requiring coaches to ensure their teams performed consistently over the four-day tournament, both during and outside of games. The spirit of teamwork was clearly demonstrated by the Mainland teams. Congratulations to the Christchurch Netball Centre Red team for finishing 10th overall, the highest placing Mainland team. 

We now eagerly await the announcement of who will be hosting the NNZ U18 Champs in 2025 and look forward to sharing that information with you as soon as possible. 

Article added: Wednesday 31 July 2024