Regional Academy of Sports Wrap Up

From Friday 11th to Sunday 13th April 2025, the city of Tamworth came alive as the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS) proudly hosted the 2025 Your Local Club Academy Games. This annual event brought together some of New South Wales next generation of young athletes, representing twelve academies, for a weekend of competition, development and celebration. 

The netball courts were buzzing with energy and passion, with thrilling games keeping spectators on the edge of their seats.  

We were lucky enough to have Lisa Beehag, Linda Macleod, Pate Cooper, and Samantha May, who generously shared their expertise through coach mentoring and talent identification of our next athletes coming through the Netball NSW pathway.  

On the umpiring front, our dedicated umpire coaches supported the learning and development of our future umpires. Across the weekend, 19 umpires received their B Badge, - a huge achievement for everyone involved. 

Congratulations to our new B Badge Umpires;  

Jorja Douglass – Hunter Academy of Sport  

Taia Shedden – Hunter Academy of Sport 

Taneisha Twitchin – Hunter Academy of Sport 

Makayla Henderson – Illawarra Academy of Sport 

Sienna Kaschubs – Illawarra Academy of Sport 

Lily Martin – Illawarra Academy of Sport 

Chelsea Ellis – North Coast Academy of Sport 

Jade Appleyard – North Coast Academy of Sport 

Indy Monaghan – Northern Inland Academy of Sport  

Talina Seisun – South West Sydney Academy of Sport 

Mackenzie Talbot – South West Sydney Academy of Sport 

Charlotte George – Western Region Academy of Sport 

Mia Lewis – Western Region Academy of Sport 

Emily Kos – Western Sydney Academy of Sport 

Hazel Fowler - Western Sydney Academy of Sport 

Elliana Henderson - Western Sydney Academy of Sport 

Megan Chen – Sydney Netball Academy  

Tiana Flynn – Sydney Netball Academy  

Zoe Charles – Sydney Netball Academy  

The Rising Star Umpire Award, voted on by umpire coaches and awarded to Talina Seisun from South West Sydney Academy of Sport. Congratulations Talina! 

Another exciting element of the Games was the Most Valuable Player of each side. After every match, coaches selected an opposition player as their MVP. These selections were tallied to determine each teams MVP. 

Congratulations to the following MVP’s 

Congratulations to all athletes, coaches, umpires, parents, volunteers and staff who made this year’s Your Local Club Academy Games such a success.