Zones
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 works in partnership with netball centres and appointed scouts to identify athletes across our zone who show the potential to progress into performance netball environments.
Our scouting and feed forward process ensures athletes from community competitions through to representative levels are visible within the Netball Northern pathway, not only those already selected into rep teams.
How the Network Works
Talent identification begins with feed forward information from centres, supported by observation at:
- Centre competitions
- Representative tournaments
- Local and national events
Netball Northern scouts also attend key events, including NZ U18 Championships, NZ Open Championships, NZ Secondary Schools Championships, and UNISS, ensuring athletes are seen performing in high level environments.
Centre Scouts & Feed Forward
Centres are encouraged to appoint suitable people to observe athletes within local competitions. These may include coaches, selectors, officials, development staff, or experienced volunteers.
Their role is to identify and share information on athletes who demonstrate the attributes and behaviours to progress toward performance netball over the next 1–5 years. Centre scouts are supported with clear guidelines, athlete indicators, and simple templates to ensure consistency across the zone.
Scouting Definitions & What We Look For
To support a shared understanding across centres and scouts, we recommend referring to the Scouting Definitions infographic, located on this page. This outlines key athlete attributes, indicators, and definitions used across the Netball Northern scouting and feed forward process, helping ensure athletes are identified and discussed using a common language.
Interested in Becoming a Scout?
Netball Northern also welcomes expressions of interest from individuals who are interested in talent identification and athlete development. Scouts receive professional development and are supported by the Netball Northern Athlete Lead, aligned to our scouting philosophy and processes.
For more information or to get involved, contact:
Player Competencies
The following competencies are used to assess and develop players across key performance areas.
Technical Skills
(Fundamental Skills)
- Ball handling
- Passing accuracy, strength, and variety
- Footwork (take off, balance, landing, recovery)
- Movement skills (Change of Direction, Change of Pace, Turn Fully Fast)
- Good control of ball on catch
- Catches ball early
- Contesting mechanics (where relevant)
- Ability to replicate skills under pressure
Tactical Skills
(Game Skills)
- Decision-making consistency
- Game awareness (space, timing, tempo)
- Ability to manipulate defenders/attackers
- Impact within structures and systems
- Off-ball work and unit connection
- Tactical discipline and adaptability
- Works as part of a unit to create defensive pressure or attacking flow
Win-Now Readiness
(Immediate Contribution)
- Consistency under pressure/intensity
- Reliability and composure
- Execution under physical and tactical pressure
- Ability to contribute immediately at speed
- Match-readiness and fitness
- On-court impact against quality opposition
Future Potential
(ANZP & Beyond)
- Quality of movement (COD, COP to get free)
- Acceleration and deceleration mechanics
- Vertical jump and appropriate use
- Ability to manipulate time and space
- Physical attributes (height, reach, presence, explosive movement)
- Responsiveness to coaching and learning rate
- Demonstrated improvement since last exposure
- Collaboration and ability to enhance teammates
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.
Our Netball Northern Performance Pathway works to prepare players in our zone who show potential and aspire to reach performance netball. Our focus is on offering individual development in an environment designed for learning the lifestyle and work ethic to succeed at a performance level.
Below is an info-diagram illustrating our Performance Pathway. It starts with our scouting programme selecting those to invite to Development Day, followed by Summer Squad sessions, then open trials for our Performance Squad and the National Netball League (NNL) Squads. The Pathway is not a pre-requisite for squad selection but aims to support and grow players.
For questions regarding the Performance Pathway, please send us a message via our Contact Us page to ‘Performance Pathway'
Netball Northern is committed to growing and developing athletes within our zone. We do this by supporting netball centres with their development and representative programmes, as well as providing the Netball Northern Performance Pathway for those in our zone with the potential to reach performance netball.
Below is Netball New Zealand’s High Performance Pathway image. This pathway includes the zone/centre development programmes and the zone performance programmes which we are responsible for within Netball Northern Zone.
Visit the Netball NZ website for more information about the Netball NZ High Performance Pathway
Our Zone/Centre Player Development
Player development starts with the 16 netball centres within our zone. This includes the Player Development Programme (PDP) for years 7&8, and the under 16 and under 18 representative programmes. We provide our centres with support in developing coaches, managers, umpires, players and parents in this development space.
Our Zone Performance Programme
Our Netball Northern Performance Pathway works to grow the number and quality of performance netballers in our zone. The pathway works by identifying players with the potential to reach performance, and provides them with the opportunity to develop in an environment designed for learning the lifestyle and work ethic required to succeed at a performance level.
After viewing and testing 94 of our top secondary school players across three different cluster development sessions we are pleased to invite 21 players to an extra development opportunity and name 7 reserve players
This year the Upper North Island Secondary Schools tournament (UNISS) saw over 140 umpires take part, with the support of 17 umpire coaches who were a part of the Netball Northern and Netball WaiBoP Zone Umpire Panels.