Dannevirke netball girls aiming for tournament in Queensland

Sasha, Sophie and Mya do the presenting.

Dannevirke’s under-15 netball team will be hoping for warmer weather in September when they head to Queensland for a tournament.

The entire team braved the wintry cold to sell sausages and patties on the Matariki public holiday to raise money for their trip.

But considering the way they stuck it out in freezing weather for five hours that afternoon, they are tough enough to handle whatever Mother Nature throws at them.

The idea to cross the ditch to play netball came last year.

“After the 2022 season, as we reflected on the success of getting Dannevirke’s own representative teams to the North Island Junior champs for the first time, I proposed the idea of taking a team or teams to the International Netball Festival on the Gold Coast this year,” Dannevirke Netball Centre president Michelle Mitchell explains.

“We advertised for interest towards the end of 2022, and once we gathered the commitment from parents and players, decided to take an under-15 side to the tournament.”

She says although the team will be a very young under-15 side, it was the only category they could enter as they were too old for the under-13 bracket.

“However, this doesn’t faze the girls as the experience alone will be amazing.”

Jazz Hema and Isabella Douglas doing the cooking.

Michelle says Huia Treacy agreed to coach the team and she’ll be the manager.

“We have a touring party of 21 all up, with some siblings, parents and even grandparents joining in on the fun.

“Of course, we knew there would be a huge cost, so as a group, we started fundraising early in the year, and the girls also found a personal business sponsor each to help with their costs.

“We have received donations from various businesses and organisations and are truly thankful to the supportive community we live in.”

The tournament, which is at the end of September, runs over four days of games, but the girls also get to do sightseeing, have a netball clinic with the Queensland Firebirds and participate in other organised activities during their nine-day stay, Michelle says.

“Dannevirke Netball Centre (DNC) has ended up often using the slogan ‘putting Dannevirke on the map’ after our quest to get Dannevirke teams to bigger and better tournaments, and this is certainly going to do that.”