Trial Information:

We welcome all ages and abilities  - Junior, Collegiate & Senior/Prem grade players.

If you are new to Netball or need to learn the basics first, you are welcome to register too, and we will run a development team if we have enough players.

There will be two sets of trials in 2024, one for our fully competitive teams (Waves 1 and 2), and another for the Junior and Collegiate teams.
​​​​​​​Waves 1 will be playing in the KMNC premier grade in 2024 (played indoors at TRA on a Wednesday night).
Waves 2 will be playing in the KMNC pre-season premier 3 entry event (13th and 14th of April) to attempt to gain a spot in Premier 3 (played indoors at TRA on a Wednesday night) for 2024.  If unsuccessful, this team will play outdoors at Mungavin Park on a Saturday in the Championship.

The core difference between Waves 1 & 2 and our Junior/Collegiate teams are that Waves 1 & 2: 
- Require a high level of commitment for pre-season (training and games), in-season training, and competition games
- Play during school holidays (premier grade only)
- Are open to Y12 school aged players and above, including adults
- Play in competitive grades against other Adult players
- Do not apply the clubs equal court time policy

Collegiate teams may only contain collegiate aged players. Often our top collegiate teams will play in the Championship, where they will play against adult teams. Our other collegiate aged teams play in the Championship Reserve, which ONLY contains collegiate aged teams and players.

Please choose which grade you wish to trial for when registering, and you will be emailed the relevant trial date and venue once these have been confirmed.

Confirmed dates for trials are as follows:

Waves 1 & 2  - First Trial, Sunday the 25th of Feb at Mungavin Netball Courts
Waves 1 & 2  - Second Trial, Saturday the 2nd of March at Mungavin Netball Courts (postponement date 3rd of March)
Waves Junior and Collegiate Teams - Only 1 trial, Saturday the 2nd of March at Mungavin Netball Courts (postponement date 3rd of March) 

If you are unable to make your trial date but still wish to play please register then contact us directly.

If you are an adult wishing to play socially please register but no trial is required as we will form these teams at a later date.

CLUB VS SCHOOL NETBALL
Players can be registered in both Waves Netball Club and/or their school team for the season.

WHY DO WE TRIAL?
Waves Netball Club runs trials so we can create graded teams to enter in the Kapi Mana Netball Centre competitive divisions. Trials allow us to create teams with players of similar ability and the right mix of positions required (attackers, defenders and mid court players) for a team. It also allows players the opportunity to train, grow and play with others of similar skill and experience levels. The Kapi Mana Netball Competition that we play in requires that clubs use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that teams are ranked strictly in accordance with their ability, as this will assist in making their competition as competitive as possible whilst ensuring players enjoy their season.

HOW ARE TRIALS CONDUCTED AND TEAMS CREATED?
1. All Players Register online: 
All players are required to register online prior to trial day. Our online form should be completed with the players' details and preferred positions. We are looking for the player to nominate the positions in which they are strongest in and most want to play during the season. They must take into account their ability and where their skills will be noted by selectors. We try (where possible) to trial the players in their strongest, most commonly played positions as well as their second, and sometimes third choice position.

2. Trials are run:
We conduct trials in the form of 8 to 12 minute games. Players will play on court in simulated match conditions so that selectors can assess their footwork, ball skills, game strategy, strength, speed, spacial awareness and understanding of the rules. 

Some players only need to take to the court for one rotation while others will need to be seen a few times so that selectors can see where they best fit. Parents should not be concerned if their child has taken to the court for less rotations compared to others. This is no indication of their ability, but rather that selectors can immediately see where they are suited. Sometimes we may get only a few requests to play in a particular position, but a large number for another - which might mean players playing to make up numbers in teams to allow other players to be seen - this won't disadvantage any player from a selection perspective. Selectors then need to see what skills each player has and how they can be best utilised by the team. In addition, players new the club often receive more court time as returning players abilities are usually well understood.

Although we are looking at players in their most preferred positions, once teams are formed the team coaches determine playing positions taking into account various considerations (such as combinations, player availability and our clubs equal court time policy) so selection in a team does not guarantee you will always be playing in your preferred position(s), however we do our best to construct teams where everyone plays in either their 1st or 2nd preferred positions (that were indicated during registration) during the season, and most importantly, enjoys themselves.

3. Provisional Teams are announced:
After trials are complete, the selectors provisionally draft up the teams and announce them via email. We try to limit the number of players in each team to a maximum of 10. We know it is a natural instinct to make assumptions about the relative strength or weakness of the team you may be placed into, however please keep in mind that we often end up with several teams of similar ability levels. We do need to grade our teams for entry into the Kapi Mana competition, but once grading is complete, rankings are determined by wins on the court. It is not unusual for us to end up with multiple Waves Netball Club teams in the same Kapi Mana grades because the skill level of the teams is so close.

4. Final Teams are confirmed:
From the trials, we typically have a good view on how teams will be ranked within the club; however, we may run a series of team grading games at the first two club practices to confirm these rankings and move players between teams as and if required. Although our preference is to not make changes to the provisional teams as a result of these games, we do reserve the right to move players between teams as and if required. This will be discussed with the affected player and coaches before a final decision is made.

IMPORTANT:
1. Players  who register but are unable to attend trials, but who advise the Club before the day of the trial, will have their team selection based on availability of positions within the teams, information provided by the coach at the conclusion of the previous season and through consultations with the selectors. We cannot guarantee that for returning players who don’t attend trials, that they will be placed back into their team from the previous season.
2. Players who register but don't turn up to trials and don't advise us beforehand will not automatically be placed in a team.

We try to provide a team for every player that wants to play, but due to our rapid growth and the associated resource demands that come with that, we have been forced to limit the number of teams we can have each season. We would love to see everyone from previous seasons back however so we encourage you to register early to assist with our planning.  As we are a 100% volunteer organisation, we rely on the support of parents, previous players, friends and family to give their time in order for our teams to take court. In particular, we cannot field a team without both a coach and a manager so we encourage you to put your name forward if this is something you can assist with. For new coaches, we can provide you with a coaching plan to follow for your team, and the support of our more experienced coaches. We are also big on growing our coaches and will pay the attendance fee for any wishing to attend Netball New Zealand community coaching modules.

Thank you for your interest in Trialing for Waves Netball Club and Good luck!