It is with enormous regret that Netball NSW advises of its decision to cancel the 2020 HART Junior and Senior State Titles.
Players, coaches, umpires, officials and parents would all be well aware that Netball NSW has held on to the hope of conducting the State Titles in 2020, maintaining an air of positivity that the re-scheduled October dates would enable the competitions to proceed. Regrettably the time has come for us to concede that this won’t be possible.
On Wednesday 12 August Netball NSW participated in an all-sport briefing with the NSW Government and received the latest information from NSW Health. That advice came with a request to ‘avoid large, inter-regional championships.’ Accordingly, Netball NSW have determined that it would be irresponsible to proceed with State Titles at this time.
Netball NSW staff have made contact with, or received feedback from, many Associations across the state in recent weeks. While a variety of options were considered, including localised competitions or limited age groups, the fact is that any version would require an element of travel which NSW Health are trying to avoid. Furthermore, the less teams competing the less the event bears any resemblance to a true State Titles competition.
The State Titles are an institution in NSW netball, so much so that they were inducted into the Netball NSW Hall of Fame Heritage Category in 2018 (as the State Age Championships and State Championships). It therefore goes without saying that this was not a decision taken lightly and we feel deeply sorry for those who had been planning for, and working so hard towards this year’s event.
We have said many times that 2020 will be a year that won’t be forgotten in a hurry and the cancellation of State Titles is yet another example. For now, we are fortunate that regular netball competitions have been able to commence and we thank the netball community for their ongoing commitment to the health and safety protocols those competitions are running under.
2021 State Titles
While Netball NSW will now turn its attention to planning for the State Titles in 2021, the ongoing uncertainty does make it difficult to provide final details for next year. We will continue to monitor developments and will look to announce the probable 2021 Venue Allocations in the near future.
2021 Grading
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 State Titles, impact to the grading rules for the 2021 State Titles will be considered. The Competition Rules for the 2021 State Titles will also be updated and made available later in 2020.
2020 Social Masters & Bing Lee Masters State Titles
As with the 2020 State Titles, it is with regret that the decision has been made to also cancel the 2020 Social Masters and Bing Lee Masters State Titles competitions. We understand that for many of our participants these events are an opportunity for all those volunteer team coaches, team officials and Association officials to let their hair down and have a weekend of netball for themselves. Unfortunately, for the same reasons as State Titles, it cannot happen this year. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2021, with the venue location to be announced early in 2021.
State Titles Merchandise
Finally, we would like to remind everyone that even though the State Titles won’t be going ahead, the merchandise was ready to go, and is available to purchase. The quality of the merchandise from our new apparel partner Valour Sport is absolutely first class and we do urge anyone looking for some netball gear to check out the online shop while stocks last.
Valour Sport have created the “Keep Fit” bundle (includes training singlet and shorts plus free socks) and the “Keep Warm” bundle (includes a hoodie, tights and tee). To access a bundle, simply click on the training singlet or hoodie of your choice.
Carolyn Campbell
Chief Executive Officer
