Building on a successful inaugural partnership with Netball NSW in 2025, the HeartKids Cup will once again serve as the official pre-season tournament for the Premier League competition in 2026, marking its second consecutive year.
The event will take place across Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March 2026 at Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park, with all 10 Netball NSW Premier League Franchises competing.
Opens and 23 Under athletes will take the court, alongside a Celebrity Charity Match featuring some of the biggest names in NSW and Australian netball, raising vital funds for HeartKids Australia.
First established in 2012 by Netball NSW Performance and Pathways General Manager Mardi Aplin, the HeartKids Cup has a strong history with Netball NSW, traditionally being hosted in Orange and the Central West region.
The event was inspired by Aplin's family’s journey after her son Carter was born with the rare heart condition Truncus Arteriosus. After multiple surgeries and frequent travel from Orange to Sydney, the Aplin family experienced the emotional and financial strain faced by many families.
Aplin channelled her passion for netball into creating the HeartKids Cup, which has since raised thousands of dollars and vital awareness for childhood-onset heart disease.
HeartKids CEO Samantha Glastonbury explains why the event means so much:
The HeartKids Cup means so much to our heart community, and I’m incredibly grateful to see it return as the official pre-season competition for the Netball NSW Premier League in 2026.
As both the CEO of HeartKids and a heart mum, this is deeply personal to me. Events like this help shine a light on the experiences of children and families living with childhood-onset heart disease. Thank you to Netball NSW, the athletes and everyone involved for standing with heart families and helping them feel seen and supported.
The Netball NSW Premier League is the pinnacle pathway competition in the State, highlighting the best current and emerging talent. It provides a pre-elite platform for players, coaches, officials, and administrators, while offering clear bridging opportunities into the high-performance pathway and Suncorp Super Netball.
Netball NSW General Manager of Competitions Stacy Harding said:
“The HeartKids Cup is a powerful example of how Premier League Netball can bring together high-performance sport and meaningful community impact.
It is an event that not only prepares our teams for the season ahead but also shines a light on an incredible cause that resonates deeply across our netball community.”
Now firmly embedded on the Premier League calendar, the HeartKids Cup provides a meaningful opportunity for teams to prepare for the season while uniting the netball community behind an important cause.
Find out more here HeartKids Cup 2026 - Netball NSW
