Joining the rest of the school at netball training at Donnelly Park were, from left, Ataahua Harling-Hirini, Kiara Phillips-Corskie, Robyn Wells and Grace Kerehi.
Joining the rest of the school at netball training at Donnelly Park were, from left, Ataahua Harling-Hirini, Kiara Phillips-Corskie, Robyn Wells and Grace Kerehi.
Let's make Horowhenua netball great again.
That could be the new catchcry of Netball Horowhenua as it tries to resurrect ailing club and school competitions and grow participation at all levels.
The once thriving netball scene - with Donnelly Park in Levin its spiritual home base - was in need of a shot in the arm.
Netball Horowhenua president Robyn Wells said it was receiving whole-hearted support from above.
Its governing body - Central Netball - was taking a keen interest in Netball Horowhenua's development plans.
Ataahua Harling-Hirini, 11, Kiara Phillips-Corskie, 12, and Grace Kerehi, 12, are pictured training with Netball Horowhenua president Robyn Wells.
A new committee wanted to build on the hard work of previous committees with the view of attracting teams and clubs that had gone to play in neighbouring Manawatū and Kāpiti competitions.
Wells said the local competition lost some teams to other centres as a result of Covid-19 last season, in the absence of a local league post-lockdown, and they were working hard to see their return.
It was important to have a strong secondary school competition where all local schools entered their best teams, she said.
"We want them back. We need the vibrancy of having these teams. We need that spread across our region and the quality of games that it brings."
The same could be said of some senior Ōtaki teams that in recent years had joined in with competition in Kāpiti. Wells said Netball Horowhenua would love to see them return to their traditional home of Donnelly Park.
There were plans to foster and grow not only junior netball, but to pour energy and support into senior club netball and also development of coaches.
Netball Horowhenua have plans to develop coaching and participation at all levels.
"We want to make it really good for these senior clubs that are sticking with us and run it really well for them. It might attract new clubs," she said.
Netball Horowhenua had appointed a marketing and promotions manager, Angelica Machuca, this season.
"It's not going to happen in one season but we have a committed committee looking at the long-term bigger picture," she said.
"I think we realise that it is going to take a long time and a lot of work from a lot of people. But we'll do our darnedest to head that way."
Netball Horowhenua was aiming to foster strong junior and school grade competitions with the view of reinstating Horowhenua age grade representative teams, which had been missing in recent years.
"We are absolutely committed to having that happen," she said.
The aim was to make representing Horowhenua aspirational and a realistic pathway to higher honours.
Netball didn't have its challenges all on its own. There wouldn't be many sporting codes that weren't facing similar issues.
Wells said Netball Horowhenua would look to the good work done in administration by rugby, football and cricket codes in recent times in growing participation, and piggy-back off some of their ideas and strategies.
Junior netball in action at Donnelly Park in Levin.
But it's never easy to announce big plans or attempt change, because there was a danger of causing offence as it might imply previous committees had been lax.
Wells was at pains to point out the hard work previous volunteers had done keeping netball in Horowhenua alive, often in difficult circumstances.
