Academy Games a hit in Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga was the centre of the netball development world earlier this month when the regional NSW city held the 2022 Your Local Club Academy Games. 

From April 8-10 over 350 netballers, umpires and coaches gathered from every corner of the state for the Games, which were hosted by the Southern Sports Academy. 

This weekend was all about challenging talented athletes and umpires to grow on and off the court.

"It is fabulous to watch the development that takes place over the weekend and opportunities like this are particularly important for our rural and remote netballers," Mardi Aplin, Netball NSW Regional Performance & Pathways Manager, said.

The Games also provided an opportunity for coaches to gain valuable experience in developing their on-court delivery in a competitive environment.

Aplin was thrilled at the generosity of NSW coaches to support each other:

"For our up and coming regional coaches to have access to mentoring from NSW selector and educator Pate Cooper, former Australian Diamonds Head Coach Jill McIntosh and former Swifts player Abbey McCulloch is simply invaluable, and Netball NSW thanks these coaches for their ongoing support," she added. 

At the end of the weekend a Most Valuable Players was named from each Academy across both divisions. These athletes were nominated by opposition coaches after each game. A breakthrough umpire award was also presented.

Congratulations to the following athletes and umpires: