Ruth Stanley Community Netball Manager Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone

Netball is the most played sport for females in New Zealand and interestingly the sport more girls would like to play.

Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty supports community netball throughout Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, with the aim of growing participation and providing high quality netball.

Zone-staff help to make netball happen by supporting and developing more than 23,000 players and volunteer coaches, officials and administrators in the 26 netball centres across the zone.

As part of a restructure throughout the country, a new modified netball programme for seven and eight-year-olds will be offered to centres across the Bay in 2015.

This follows the success of a new programme for five and six-year-olds, which began this year.

It's proved very popular with players and parents, and focuses on developing the young player's fundamental netball skills and love of the sport at an age-appropriate level.

Each 45-minute session focuses on basic netball skills and ends in a modified ‘four on four' game where children get the opportunity to pass, shoot and play from day one.

Tania, whose daughter was part of the programme at Harbourside Netball Centre this year, is very positive about her five-year-old's introduction to netball.

'She absolutely loves it, it is so well organised and she seems to be learning lots of skills.

'I can definitely see how the modified game gives them loads more confidence and opportunities to practice the skills they are learning.

'My older daughter played full netball when we lived in New Plymouth and she had no idea where she was going and hardly ever touched the ball.”

The new junior programmes are a great opportunity for parents to be involved as helpers.

This year in the Bay of Plenty more than 800 coaches have attended 85 coach development opportunities.

Umpires have attended theory courses and been supported by Umpire Coaches courtside.

Seven Umpires passed their NZ Theory examination and five their zone qualification.

In August the best of the Bay teams will battle it out to determine the top eight teams to compete against the WINTEC Waikato Bay of Plenty Secondary School Zone Championships.

This competition will provide invaluable game experience for schools entering the Upper North Island Championships in early September.

Come and watch the cream of secondary school netball talent at Harbourside Netball Centre on Sunday, August 24.

For more information, visit the Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone website or contact Ruth Stanley Ruth.Stanley@netballwbop.co.nz