Two of the biggest female sporting events in Australia, 2018 was a special year for the State and State Age Championships with it marking the 50th running of the iconic games after they were first held in 1969 at Sydney’s Moore Park.
It was also the last year the events would be know by their original titles, with both competitions rebranded as the Senior and Junior State Titles.
The State and State Age Championships were inducted into the Netball NSW Hall of Fame under the Heritage Category in 2018.
State Championships
In 1969 24 affiliated Associations entered in two age divisions - Opens and Cadets - with Manly-Warringah taking home both titles.
Fifty years on, it was Gosford Netball Association who welcomed 96 teams from 71 Associations, from all over NSW, between Saturday to Monday, 9-11 June.
The teams competed across five divisions - Open Championship, Open Division 2, 17/U Championship, 17/U Division 2, 17/U Division 3 - with the winners of the Opens and 17/U Championship Divisions crowned State Champions of their respective age groups for 2018.
And, just like 50 years before, it was Manly-Warringah who were again the dominant force on court – winning both the Opens and 17/U Championship Divisions.
From humble beginnings, the State Championships became a standout event on the NSW sporting calendar. It remains ever popular today under the title of Senior State Titles.
State Age Championships
The State Age Championships (now Junior State Titles) was one of the largest female sporting events in the Southern Hemisphere, and was originally called the Junior District Carnival: a day-long carnival which was first held on Sunday 14 July, 1968 at Sydney’s Moore Park, and went on to become the State Age Championships in 1969.
Forty-four teams representing 10 Associations contested in five age-groups during the inaugural tournament; 14 Years, 13 Years, 12 Years, 11 Years and 10 Years. Manly-Warringah and Sutherland Shire dominated the winners’ list at the first championships.
As the years rolled on, the number of entries grew to such an extent that it became necessary to contest the championships over a two-day period to enable each Association to play one another.
As team numbers continued to increase, the championships expanded to include a third day. In 1983, a second division in each age group was added, and two years later the competition was re-structured, settling on age groups for 15/U, 14/U, 13/U and 12/U. Since then, the competition has continued to grow to include four divisions
of competition in each of the age groups.
Due to the size of the event, multiple Associations are used simultaneously to host, which is always an incredible effort from our fantastic volunteer-powered Associations and Netball NSW staff.
In 2018, the 50th year of the State Age Championships, almost 3,000 players took part, representing 300-plus teams from 88 Associations from all over New South Wales.
Today, under the title Junior State Titles, they remain ever popular.
