Indoor plan as netball numbers rise

TITLE TUSSLE: Harcourts centre Katie Alsop grabs possession ahead of Pioneer Blue's Lisa Manihera in last weekend's premier one final. Harcourts won 45-31.PHOTO/CHRIS KILFORD

NETBALL Wairarapa is thinking big. Plans are afoot to build an indoor stadium at its Colombo Rd complex in Masterton with the aim of having it up and running within the next three to five years.

"We've looked at all our options and believe that is the best way to go," Netball Wairarapa president Sandy Biel said yesterday. "It's a huge project but it would have huge benefits, both for netball and the whole community."

Expected to cost in the region of $5 million, the stadium would have a minimum of three courts and a maximum of five and could be utilised by basketball and other sports requiring indoor facilities.

"We certainly don't see it as being exclusive to netball, the more multi-purpose the better," Biel said.

From a strictly netball perspective, however, Biel sees an indoor stadium as having many advantages. It would take the vagaries of the weather out of the equation and would mean club matches could be played through the week.

"Right now we have everything focusing on Saturdays and for many people, especially young mums with kids involved in other sports, that doesn't always suit. Playing midweek would be a good alternative for them."

Biel said the stadium proposal came at a time when netball in Wairarapa was growing. The number of primary and intermediate school teams had gone from 60 to 67 in the 2014 season and there had been a slight increase of entries in the secondary school sector. One hundred and thirty-one teams were now involved in club competitions and the outdoor courts at Colombo Rd were showing signs of wear and tear.

"We clearly have reached the stage where we need to look how we can better advance the sport and an indoor stadium is the best option," said Biel, adding that a special sub-committee had been established by the parent body to progress the proposal.

"The groundwork has started and things seem to be going along really well."

Reflecting on the 2014 club season, which drew to a close with finals day last weekend, Biel said apart from a couple of cancellations because of the weather everything had pretty much gone according to plan.

Defending champions Harcourts again had the ascendancy in the premier one competition although they faced stern opposition in the final from a brave Pioneer Blue side. Harcourts won 45-31.

There will be changes to the format for some of the primary school grade matches next year. Acting on a directive from Netball New Zealand the number of players involved in Year 1 and 2 matches will be reduced to four per team and in Year 3 matches to five per team.

"The idea is to give our younger players more opportunity to get involved in their games and reducing the numbers is seen as the best way of doing that," Biel said.

"It will mean more touches on the ball and more goals, and more enjoyment too!"