Zones
Steel Steps – Steel Steps is our Netball South Talent Development pathway for identified players with potential.
Our Talent Development Pathway consists of a variety of levels:
- Steel Steps Development Programmes
- Steel Steps Accelerator Programme
- Steel Steps Aspiring Talent Squad
- Steel Steps Emerging Talent Squad
- Southern Blast NNL Team
Steel Steps Aspiring Talent – The Steel Steps Aspiring Talent Programme consists of a squad of up to 12 players that have been selected from the south zone as players with potential to transition into the Emerging Talent and NNL programmes over the next 2-3 years. The Aspiring Talent Squad receives support across a number of areas both on and off the court.
Steel Steps Emerging Talent – The Steel Steps Emerging Talent Programme consists of a squad of up to 8 players that have been selected from the south zone to train alongside the Southern Blast during the pre-season and then be available throughout the NNL season to step up into the Southern Blast team if required. The Emerging Talent Squad receives support across a number of areas both on and off the court.
The Southern Blast – The Southern Blast Netball Team plays in the Synergy Hair National Netball League. This team is made up of players from the Southland and Otago region. This league is fundamental to strengthening Netball New Zealand’s performance pathway for new talent.
Starting in April, the Northern Marvels, Northern Comets, Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty, Central Manawa, Mainland, and Southern Blast will go head-to-head for the title over an 11-round competition.
Officials are the backbone of Netball, ensuring every game runs seamlessly. From accurate score keeping to detailed player stats and precise timing, their expertise guarantees fairness and professionalism.
Do you have good concentration, attention to detail, an ability to work under pressure and love working as part of a team? If you answered yes – why not become a technical official or statistician!
For more information on how you can get involved, contact
From there you can work towards achieving your Zone and Netball New Zealand National Technical Official accreditation.
Coaching is a fulfilling way to give back to your community while building meaningful connections with others.
As a coach, you play a vital role in creating enjoyable and successful netball experiences at your local center.
Getting Started
There are a range of resources available to help you on your coaching pathway. One key tool is the Netball NZ Coaching Framework, which outlines the five recognised stages of netball coaching.
Foundation or junior coaching
For our younger players, local netball centres use the Netball NZ futureFERNS programme. This programme focuses on developing strong fundamental skills in a fun and supportive environment.
The futureFERNS website explains how the game is structured for different age groups and provides coaches with access to a ‘coaching portal’ offering weekly training plans and activities.
Visit the futureFERNS website here
Coaches can also use Sport Tutor, where Netball NZ provides a personalised dashboard along with online workshops and coaching resources.
Community coaching
Community netball is offered through both schools and clubs for players of all ages. As a community coach, you can access support and resources via Sport Tutor to help guide you throughout the season.
Sport Tutor includes a personal dashboard, online learning modules, and a variety of useful resources such as:
- Community Coach Starter Resource
- Year 9 & 10 Season Starter Resource
- Year 7 & 8 Player Development Programme Resource
- Tournament coaching resources
- NetballSmart Season Preparation
- And more
Sport Tutor also hosts the Netball NZ Community Coach Award (CCA) modules. You can learn more about this on our Community Coach Award page.
Coaching Framework
Coaches play a vital role in sport, with great coaching having a significant impact on an athlete’s experience and development.
The Netball NZ Coaching Framework identifies five key stages of coach development, with community coaching representing the largest group of coaches.
The five areas of coach development are:
- Foundation (juniors)
- Community
- Composite
- Performance
- High Performance
Our Centre Connect Series brings together key personnel from netball centres across Netball Northern to collectively address priorities identified by centres and create a platform for knowledge sharing and centre-to-centre networking.
Our community team run the Centre Connect Series in May, July and October each year.
Focus of the Centre Connect
Depending on what is front-of-mind at the time, the focus of the Centre Connect Series are usually around the topics of:
- Sharing centre-based knowledge and experience
- Brainstorming solutions to common challenges
- Identify ways to work together
- Succession planning and growing volunteers
- Influencing strategic initiatives and priority areas
- Diversity and inclusion
- Development and transition
- Systems and Sporty
- Facilities
Who is invited to attend
Centre Connect invites key centre personnel to participate. Some sessions will have a stronger emphasis on management, whereas in others, we bring in umpires, coaches, NetballSmart activators, and other key figures who can all feed into conversations.
Where they are held
Our aim is to be as accommodating as we can, by holding one session in Te Tai Tokerau and either one or two sessions in Auckland for each of the Centre Connects. We understand that some centres are managed by paid staff while others rely entirely on volunteers, so we aim to accommodate the best we can.
If you’d like more information about Centre Connect visit our Contact Us page and send a message to our Community Manager.
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.