Zones
Netball NZ Community Coach Level 2
1 & 2 March 2025
Pukekohe Netball Centre
Netball Northern is excited to offer a two-day Netball NZ Community Coach Award Level 2 workshop, presented by Leigh Gibbs, Tia Winikerei, Rob Wright and other local Coach Developers.
Labour Weekend saw the Netball New Zealand’s NZ Secondary Schools four-day camp and Quad tournament, selecting some of the best secondary school players from across the country to put their skills to the test.
In October, Netball Northern held the third of its Centre Connect Series for the year, in both Te Tai Tokerau and Auckland. This three-part series has brought together netball centres, encouraging collaboration, idea-sharing, and support among centres to grow and strengthen netball in the Northern Zone.
Last month Simone Spencer from Aktive led a professional development session for netball centre personnel, providing an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Good Sports.
On Saturday, October 19, Netball Northern held its annual Development Day, gathering 45 talented players along with some of the zone’s up-and-coming umpires and community coaches. This day was packed with skill-building sessions, learning about fitness testing, NetballSmart workshops, specialised coaching sessions, and game time.
Voice of Participant (VOP) is a nationwide survey carried out by Netball NZ in conjunction with Sport NZ to gather insights into the experiences for those
engaged in netball over the previous twelve months.
The survey, carried out by an independent research company, aims to provide both big picture data and local knowledge insights to guide decision making. Since 2016, Netball NZ has conducted the survey on six occasions, with the most recent taking place in 2024. Read more about the Voice of Participant on the Sport NZ website here.
2024 Voice of Participant Survey
The 2024 Netball NZ Voice of Participant survey saw 6,424 responses –almost double the number of responses in the previous three surveys.
For Netball Northern we saw over 2,200 responses within our zone - a significant improvement on the 2022 survey with only 367 responses. The 2024 survey also saw all 16 of the netball centres in our zone reach the response threshold to receive individual centre-based reports.
2024 Voice of Participant Northern Zone Summary
View the ‘VOP 2024 Netball NZ Zone Summary Northern by age’ report here
View the Guide for interpreting summaries here
Netball Northern Results
Positively, the 2024 results told us that 81% of respondents within our zone are likely to rejoin playing netball, and 82% said their club/school/centre provides a supportive and encouraging environment.
The results also told us the main aspects people would like to see improved are;
- player development programmes
- quality of officiating
- more playing opportunities
- quality of coaching
Regrettably, the survey revealed that the frequency of inappropriate behaviour remains a concern both at the national level and within our zone, showing an increase since the 2022 survey.
These areas identified, are areas in which Netball Northern can provide support to centres and will become a part of the objectives of our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.
Previous Voice of Participant zone summaries
Each year, Netball Northern seek expressions of interest for representatives to be a part of the Netball Northern scouting group. This group work to identify players within our zone who have the future potential to play performance netball.
Talent identification
The scouting group begin by gaining information about players at netball centres, followed by observing games at centre competitions and representative tournaments.
Members of the scouting group are present at the NZ U18 Champs, NZ Open Champs, NZ Secondary Schools Champs, and UNISS to see players compete within high level competitions.
Interested in becoming a scout?
To be a scout for Netball Northern, you may have coached netball or played performance netball in the past. You will need to have an interest in talent identification, have an understanding of athlete development, be open minded, and be able to share your honest opinion. You’ll also have a willingness to look outside of the here-and-now and see a player’s potential in terms of their ability to reach performance in the next 1-5 years.
Our scouting group are provided with professional development including following our Netball Northern scouting philosophy and processes and are supported by our Netball Northen Athlete Lead.
If you think you have these qualities and would be interested in learning more about the Netball Northern scouting group, get in touch
Our Performance Squad is a great development and exposure opportunity for individuals looking to excel in performance netball. As a key component of the Netball Northern Performance Pathway, the squad focuses on personal growth within a setting that fosters the lifestyle and dedication needed to thrive at a performance level.
Performance Squad – Stage 1
In January 2025 , open trials will be held and up to 30 athletes will be selected for a 6 week Pre-season training block focused on skill development and conditioning to build into the 2025 season. Training alongside Northern Mystics athletes. Sessions coached by Northern Mystics, Northern Marvels and Netball Northern performance coaches.
To register for these trials please complete the form here
Performance Squad – Stage 2
In March, a squad of 12-15 players will be chosen from the Stage 1 squad, marking the start of a 10-month programme that features varying phases of training and development, depending on the ebbs and flows of the netball season.
The squad is expected to uphold the following player standards:
- Show growth and aspire to succeed in a performance netball environment.
- Be committed and responsible for your own success.
- Commit to an annual training programme.
- Register with only one club or school team and play at only one netball centre (registering with more than one netball centre is at the discretion of Netball Northern and will only be considered for representative playing opportunities).
The squad will have access to performance support services such as:
- Coached strength and conditioning sessions
- Gym membership
- Coached netball skills sessions
- Individual athlete planning and advice
- Exposure to either the NNL or ANZ Premiership netball training environment
The squad will be taught the habits for succeeding in performance netball such as:
- Time management
- Open and honest communication
- Prioritising training to meet individual performance objectives
- Understanding that testing and monitoring is a normal performance process to support ongoing development
To be a part of the Performance Squad there is a fee, and players must sign an agreement to commit to the programme.