NETBALL NEWS with Adele Lendich

Netball Goes Indoors at Onewa

If you have driven past the AMI Netball complex right by the motorway at Onewa – or endeavoured to secure a car park on a competition day – then you will have witnessed the single largest sport on the North Shore in full action at arguably the busiest sporting centre in the country.

During the Saturday competition alone there are 10 rounds of play on 22 courts involving 340 teams, 340 umpires, 170 games and up to 2000 people on site at any one time. A quick mathematical calculation reveals several thousands of North Shore people passing through this complex in a single day.

Running a Netball competition equates to a highly coordinated operation requiring military precision. Games must run on time, to the second, and are almost never cancelled. The Saturday competition (which is the busiest day in our week) is run almost entirely by dedicated volunteers and is testament to their love of the game.

Netball attracts almost 50% of all female primary and intermediate school aged children on the North Shore and it continues to grow. From 2006 to 2009 Netball grew from 12,000 members to 16,000. Chances are you will be the parent of a daughter, have a sister, a niece or are a partner to someone associated with Netball on the Shore. Age is no barrier in this game – it's a game for life! Whether you are aged six or 70 you may be involved as a player, coach, umpire, manager, statistician, physiotherapist, or volunteer. Netball enjoys camaraderie, competition, spirit and most of all, fun. It incorporates entire families, unites communities and consumes those who are involved. It is fun, furious and a non contact sport!

With fun in mind… Social Netball is a huge part of our annual calendar and runs all year. These competitions are generally made up of teams from small businesses, corporate groups or simply a group of friends wanting to enjoy a great night out with a bit of fitness thrown in.

The demand for Netball is evident, and with the facility bursting at the seams we need to extend the hours of play. So we're going indoors! Netball North Harbour is about to embark on an exciting project to completely cover two of our courts at the AMI Netball complex. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year with completion in 2011. The project will enhance the current facility and give us added opportunities to showcase our top players. An active marketing and advertising campaign will be launched in late July, not only to raise funds for the new building, but also to highlight our facility and our wonderful game. We are confident this will be very exciting campaign which will result in an excellent outcome for the wider North Shore community.

Well done to Aidan and the team for this fantastic new magazine, and the opportunity to write this monthly column on AMI North Harbour Netball. Look forward to seeing you all at Onewa!

Adele Lendich is CEO of Netball North Harbour.
email adele@netballnorthharbour.co.nz