With the festive season upon us, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve sat back and marveled at the output of our netball community, at all levels of the game. As many of you will know, earlier this week Netball NSW announced the largest number of registered participants in the organisation’s long and proud history.
Over 120,000 people formally registered to be part of a game which is today enjoyed by people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.
For generations it has been the standard-bearer for women in sport across the nation and I am delighted to say that still remains the case.
Everyone at Netball NSW thanks the entire netball ecosystem - from community volunteers, to Club and Association committee members, to our NSW Swifts and GIANTS - for their role in achieving this record number.
No sport in NSW has the community, leadership and wellbeing impacts that netball does, especially for women and young girls. We should all take time to celebrate this milestone, because it has been hard-earned.
With the 2027 Netball World Cup on the horizon, now is the time to further elevate netball’s position. Upon our return in January, we look forward to working with you – our netball community – as well as our commercial and government stakeholders to continue the game’s upward trajectory as we aim to build a lasting legacy for everyone involved in it. As well as record overall participation, here are just some of the other highlights from 2024:
- Record Spring Season participation.
- Netball NSW held its first ever Youth Summit, with over 40 netball participants attending from across the State.
- Filming of our Life Members to capture their stories and reflections.
- Launch of the Netball NSW Digital Resource Centre and Re-Launch of our Beyond the Court Workshops, with the regional workshops being held in Wagga Wagga, Woolgoolga and Bathurst and attendance from NSW Swifts and GIANTS players.
- Record Suncorp Super Netball attendances across the NSW Swifts and GIANTS, with Suncorp Super Netball becoming the most attended female league of any code in Australian Sporting History.
- $1.5 million funding from the NSW Government for a Legacy Program to support the 2027 Netball World Cup as well as a new Netball Infrastructure Strategy.
- Appointment of Netball NSW’s first Aboriginal Advisory Group and commissioning of inaugural First Nations Artwork.
- Participation by Netball NSW in the first-ever National First Nations Tournament in Melbourne. With the support of FDC Construction, the NSW First Nations Team did battle with every State and Territory in the Tournament.
- At the National Netball Championships our 19U side proved to be the cream of the crop after winning the 2024 Grand Final by a whopping 10 goals against Queensland.
- The NSW Marie Little Shield side did us proud when they won gold in Brisbane, going undefeated for the entire tournament and holding tough in the Grand Final against Victoria.
This is just a snapshot. Of course, the achievements have been many and so have been the challenges overcome.
As the Netball NSW office closes its doors for two weeks, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy festive season.
I cannot wait to do it all again in 2025.
Tracey
CEO – Netball NSW
