St Matthew's receives ANZ netball grant

ANZ grant supports St. Matthew's Primary's netballers to aim for Silver Fern success. Photo / Supplied

St Matthew's Primary School netballers could be the next generation of Silver Ferns thanks to an ANZ Netball Grant.

After an impressive increase in the popularity of netball for St Matthew's students, ANZ has awarded the Hastings school with a gear grant worth more than $1000, which includes balls, bibs, spot markers and a gear bag.

Head of ANZ Sponsorship, Sue McGregor, said ANZ began the initiative in order to support local sports teams in their training and preparation and to "keep the passion for netball alive in the community for many seasons to come.

"We're proud to be supporting netball from grassroots teams in the Hawke's Bay right up to the ANZ Premiership and Silver Ferns. It's local teams such as St Matthew's Primary that introduce our youngsters to netball and nurture their love for the game into the passion we see in our elite players today" said McGregor.

St. Matthew's Primary netballers enjoy new equipment provided by ANZ. Photo / Supplied

The sports co-ordinator for St Matthew's Primary, Erin Van der Peet, applied for the grant on behalf of the school due to a lack of school resources to match the increased uptake of the sport.

"Being a small school we don't get a lot of money. We're an inner-city school with minimal space but we're aiming to grow netball to get more teams and more kids involved in the game," Van der Peet said.

"Our sports budget is very low so this new gear frees up our budget to do other things for netball and other sports," she said.

While students from St Matthew's are being encouraged to reach for Silver Fern heights of success by ANZ, the grant for Van der Peet is also about encouraging kids to simply enjoy the team sport.

"It's just about getting the kids active and involved in something. We might not win a game but we have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs."