Warwick netballers back on the court

By Casey O'Connor

Warwick Netball is bucking the trend and has confirmed a season start date for the 2020 Netball season.

Junior Netball players will be back on court on July18 pending the easing of government restriction and in line with the Return to Play Roadmap Stage 3.

The season is set to commence with two Come n Try days on July 18 and July 25 and will run for eight weeks. Linda Bunch Secretary of the Warwick Netball Association said the committee was extremely excited at the prospect of welcoming kids back to the courts.

They are hoping by the two proposed come n try days will kick start interest in the game. It will provide an opportunity for the kids to get a taste of Netball before their parents have to commit to fees for the season.

Recognising that many families in the community have suffered during as a result of COVID-10 the Warwick Netball Association has waived a large portion of their fees and uniforms will not be compulsory. These measures have been adopted to make it Netball an attractive option for families.

While kids count down to the start of the season officials are preparing for the strict CovidSafe regulations and requirements.

The Association is hoping to see all those juniors, boys and girls who played in 2019 back on the court when play resumes.

With many sports forced to cancel, Ms Bunch is hoping Netball will be seen as an alternative for kids.

Netball is no longer seen as just a female sport and both boys and girls are welcome and encouraged to give the game a go if they have not played before. As the countdown to the first “ball up” begins, keep up to date with all of the news by visiting the Warwick Netball Association Facebook page.

BOOST FOR STANTHORPE NETBALL

Stanthorpe Netball players in Stanthorpe will be able to unleash their skills on four newly constructed courts, thanks in part to a $150,850 Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) boost, which Maranoa MP David Littleproud announced recently.

The Netball courts in Railway Street are sorely in need of an upgrade to allow the Stanthorpe Netball Association to hold regular training sessions. In recent seasons because of the state of the courts games have been transferred to indoor venues.

Mr Littleproud said “You can ask any rural community and they will tell you how important top-notch sports facilities are. “These upgrades will enable the Stanthorpe Netball Association to hold regular training sessions both local and regional competitions which bring visitors to the Granite Belt. That’s a boost for hotels, restaurants and tourism.

“For people moving to the Granite Belt, they have an opportunity to get involved and make friends with locals on the courts. The more part of a community you feel the more likely you are to stay.”

In addition to enhancing that community spirit, everyone needs to exercise and keep fit. Sport – netball in this case – acts as an enabler for these positive outcomes.”

The $150,850 investment will provide Stanthorpe’s youth with access to facilities that match those available in our bigger cities. Just because you come from the bush doesn’t mean you can’t access top-notch facilities.

In spite of this major announcement it has not yet been decided if a competition will proceed this season.