However, there was a gap in opportunities for males to compete in the secondary school competition, especially after the introduction of the FutureFerns programme in 2014, which saw more school boys take to the game.
Males are allowed to compete in a mixed grade secondary school level team provided there are only three on the court at any one time and they cover different areas — eg, in the midcourt, as a goal shooter, or in a defence position.
There are four secondary school level teams in Gisborne with male players — Ūawa Tītīrangi, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Uri a Maui, Lytton High School, and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Horouta Wānanga.
Keelan was encouraged to take up netball for the Ūawa Tītīrangi team by his basketball coach and by one of his teachers, Shanan Gray, who’s also co-chairman of Gisborne Netball Centre and oversees the men’s league.
A talented goal shooter, Keelan has a natural spring in his feet that makes him as well suited to netball as many other sports.
Coach Mero Rokx says it’s not unusual for boys like Keelan to arrive at netball with mud on their legs, having come straight from the rugby field.
Keelan says he gets the odd bit of flak from people about playing netball but doesn’t take any notice “cos netball’s cool”.
His team has only lost one game to date and are looking forward to the finals at the start of next term.
He thinks other young men should give the sport a go.
Hall says the participation rate of secondary school-aged males fluctuates but is gaining momentum in Gisborne, which was especially apparent by the increased number of teams competing in this year’s secondary schools mixed Fast5 tournament, during term one.
About 25 teams competed in the event during 2021; this year there were 48 teams.
She said male netball was definitely on the rise nationwide. Reflecting that, this year is the first time an under-17 men’s competition will run alongside the women’s under-18 national championships.
With netball now firmly part of Keelan’s weekly sporting schedule, he’s busy nearly every day. He plays basketball on a Friday night, rugby on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then gets up at 6.30am on a Saturday to catch a bus with some of his teammates from Tolaga Bay to Gisborne for netball.
It can be a five-hour wait at the courts for a single scheduled game, but he reckons it’s worth it for the chance to shoot a few goals.
While Keelan and teammates Juan Marino, Zaedys Hughes and Tamakoura Tangohau are new to the game, another of the team’s males, Zhiar Rapana-Hughes, has played netball since primary school and now also plays for Ūawa in the men’s grade.
Ūawa Tītīrangi team coach Mero Rokx is proud of the way the young men handle the various challenges the team face. Not only do they have to deal with the difficulties associated with having to travel for games but the boys are also regularly challenged by the stigma and attitudes towards men’s netball, and the outdated concept of it being only a girls’ sport.
However, the Ūawa community is supportive and before the recent weather events, would hold community netball tournaments that encouraged all whānau to engage with the game regardless of gender and ability, Rokx says.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Uri a Maui social mixed team manager Kelly-Ann Kemp says that squad was formed so their sole male player Paeko Kemp could compete.
Paeko enjoys the game and wanted an opportunity to represent his school alongside other students. The team have a further element of diversity in that one of their members has cerebral palsy.
Men’s netball is also taking off across the Tasman, the last decade seeing a spike in participation and mainstream acceptance, culminating in a watershed moment last October when a series between Australia and New Zealand’s female teams included two televised curtain-raisers between the nations’ men’s sides.
The landmark transtasman series was followed by a game for the Australian men against England in Sydney and a Fast5 series in New Zealand. For the first time, males who regularly play the sport were able to see the men’s game treated as equal to the elite female product and could also see a pathway to national representation.
Hall says Gisborne Netball Centre is seeking interest for the men’s league. More information is available on the centre’s website.
