July 2014

From the Chair – Paul Buckner

On 14 July I attended a meeting of the zone chairpersons with the chairman of NNZ, John Bongard, NNZ board member Lee Piper and NNZ CEO Hilary Poole. The meeting provided a platform for NNZ to introduce its draft Whole of (WON) plan and to address various concerns that the zones have.

The WON plan is a comprehensive document and I believe it will achieve its purpose to “articulate a clear vision, purpose and values for netball as a whole” and will “define and drive the sport of netball” over the next few years. Of immediate concern to all zones is the current financial difficulties each are experiencing to varying extents and NNZ has agreed to work with the zones to address this.

The meeting in Auckland coincided with a “farewell cocktail function” for the Silver Ferns who flew out that evening to Glasgow to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Our congratulations go to South Zone’s representatives in the Silver Ferns side, and Shannon Francois.

Our congratulations also go to the Steel team, coach and manager Clare Malthus who competed with pride in the ANZ championship and only narrowly missed a place in the play offs. Sue Clarke (our CEO) has almost completed signing up players for the 2015 campaign and our early expectations (no pressure!) is a play off place.

On court success also went to the Ascot Park Hotel Netball South U23 side which narrowly lost the final against Waikato on 11 July in Dunedin. Congratulations also to the Dunedin U17 team which finished third in the New Zealand Championships.

Next month our board welcomes Colin Weatherall as the NNZ appointed member on our board to replace Debbie Hodges. Colin brings with him a wealth of experience in sports administration and local body politics, including a long involvement with local government and being a former chairman of the Highlanders Trust which earned Colin a Queens Service medal earlier this year. We are most fortunate to attract a person of such calibre to our board.

I thank all board members for their work and special thanks to Angee Shand for the assistance she has provided Sue Clarke over the last few months.

With the end of the ANZ Championship our attention becomes more focused on community netball and we wish all players and participants the best for the season and thank our Centres for their commitment.

Formal notice will be given shortly of a governance workshop presented by Jane Huria for the board and centre representatives in Balclutha on Saturday, 15 November. Jane is a professional “governance coach” and presents her wealth of experience in an entertaining manner.

The annual Centre forum will be held in Balclutha on 12 October and a “review workshop” will be staged in August with an external facilitator, allowing the board, management, staff and players to “define, debate and decide” on a set of initiatives towards improvement for the operation of our zone. It will be an opportunity to “dream big”.

Finally one matter I know is of some urgency to our Centres is our policy in respect to life membership. We continue to wait for regulations to our constitution to be distributed from NNZ and I was assured when I was in Auckland that this was a priority. As soon as those regulations are available we will determine and disseminate our own zone policy. From the CEO – Sue Clarke Who out there will be sleep deprived in the coming weeks? The 2014 Commonwealth Games have officially opened and I know that my eyes will be following closely the 238 athletes who are representing New Zealand in a variety of sports. The Silver Ferns start their journey towards the illustrious gold medal against Malawi and our netball community will be shouting our own encouragement from many couches around our zone.

The game of netball teaches you early the skills required to be a team player and to support each other both on and off the court. Respect, trust, integrity and sheer grit all come into play and life time friendships are made. When the times get tough, these values come into play even more and many a team emerge stronger for facing adversity.

We watch players grow and develop with the hope of one day reaching higher honours. Over the last couple of months many teams have represented their schools, clubs or our zone with pride and passion. In the lead up to these events there has also been some heartache with season-ending injuries and non selection. Facing this and, as they say, taking it on the chin is all part of an athlete‟s life and hopefully will add a dimension of resilience.

These representative teams have produced some outstanding results from Year 9 through to the recently held New Zealand U19 and U23 Championships. The results from the South Island Secondary Schools Junior Netball Development Tournament held in Christchurch from 7 -9 July bodes well for the future with Year 9 being won by Taieri College and in Year 10 Southland Girls‟ were the runners up. In Year 9 we also saw Southland Girls‟ finish 7th and in Year 10 St Hildas were 5th and James Hargest 8th respectively.

Congratulations to all teams, support staff, umpires and technical officials that have been part of the many tournaments that have taken place. You will read more about this in the following pages. All the very best for the remaining tournaments of 2014 and a huge thank you to the families that support us during this very busy period.

With the resignation of Jo Morrison as our High Performance Manager earlier in the year, you will be aware that there has been no replacement made. During the year Netball New Zealand has undergone a player review and are in the final stages of the Player Development Plan and our Zone plan will need to align with this in the coming year.

For those involved in the Talent Development Programme, we will be in touch to gather your thoughts and recommendations for 2015. Janine Southby is working with our coaches and reviewing the U23 campaign and will also add valuable input into the future direction of this programme.

We have welcomed Paula Kay-Rogers as the Central Otago Development officer and it‟s great to have her on board. Our Netball South staff are available to assist so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.

It was great to be part of the last day at the Development Camp in Gore earlier in the year and see these young netballers, coaches and umpires having a fun yet productive experience. This has become a popular fixture on our Netball South calendar.

Another Ascot Park Hotel season has come to a close and what a run to the finish line – a very credible 5th in the toughest netball competition in the world. Our wonderful has her own thoughts on this later in the newsletter. Planning and recruitment for 2015 is well underway and I wonder if the girls opt for that magenta dress next season?

Two major events will be occurring in the coming months. The South Island Secondary Schools Tournament is being played in the ILT Stadium Southland from 1 -5 September and then the Silver Ferns take on the Diamonds in the first fixture of the Constellation Cup on 2 October.

There will be some fantastic netball to be viewed so make sure you have your calendars marked!

Best wishes Netball South teams perform on the national stage

Netball South teams performed admirably at their respective New Zealand Age Group Championships earlier this month.

Our Zone hosted the U23 and U19 tournaments at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin, relishing the opportunity to showcase our sport on home turf.

In the U23 ranks, Netball South featured in a highly anticipated rematch of last year‟s epic final encounter - which WBOP won by just one goal. While the match itself certainly lived up to the hype, unfortunately for South, history did repeat with WBOP snatching a last-gasp 60-58 victory.

In the U19 Championship, Dunedin finished 8th overall, with Wakatipu and Southland placing 18th and 19th respectively.

From a 40-strong field of teams, the Dunedin U17 booked itself a semi-final spot at the tournament staged at North Harbour. However, Auckland 1 proved too strong, winning the semi-final 34-26 and eventually securing the national title.

In the play-off for third and fourth, Dunedin dominated Wellington to lead 17-11 at halftime and secure a 34-26 victory. It is the highest finish for Dunedin U17 since the competition‟s inception five years ago.

Their Southland counterparts finished a credible 18th overall.

Congratulations to the following Netball South players whose standout performances were recognised by Netball New Zealand selectors:

NZU23 Tournament Selection Te Paea Selby-Rickit Midcourter of the Tournament: Gina Crampton

NZU19 Tournament Selection Danielle Gray – Dunedin

U17 Tournament Selection Abby Erwood - Dunedin

Ascot Park Hotel Netball South Zone U23 – 2nd overall

Dunedin Netball U17 – 3rd overall BREAKING NEWS: Learn from legends

Two absolute legends of our game, former Silver Fern Temepara Bailey and former Australian Diamond Catherine Cox, will be hosting a netball clinic in in October.

An Invercargill Netball Centre initiative, in conjunction with the Invercargill Licensing Trust, the ILT Coaching Clinic is not to be missed.

Limited to just 40 places, young netballers will have a rare chance to learn from two of the best players ever to grace the international netball court.

Watch this space for more details! And massive thanks to the Invercargill Licensing Trust for their on-going support of netball.

Future stars in action Netball South development officer Hannah Coutts (left) with a bunch of future Silver Ferns at ILT Stadium recently.

These wee cuties were involved in INC‟s inaugural edition of Netball New Zealand‟s Junior Neball Programme.

Feedback on the revamped programme has been extremely positive, with the addition of modified game play especially popular amongst kids and parents alike.

1987 team inspires with memories of Glasgow win

Midcourter Shannon Francois met up with three members of the 1987 Silver Ferns - all from our Netball South Zone - from left, physiotherapist Marg Harp, Annette Heffernan and coach Dame Lois Muir at a function to farewell the New Zealand Netball Team in Auckland on July 14.

The 1987 team won the World Championships in Glasgow and were ideal ambassadors to inspire our latest crop of netball stars as they embark on their Commonwealth Games journey. Here's hoping history does repeat on Scottish turf next week! #makingusproud 2014 Netball South Development Camp

Netball South‟s Annual Development Camp has once again been hailed a success.

Staged at St Peters College in Gore from April 27-30, the camp saw a total of 53 Year 9- 11 players from throughout our Zone immersed in all things netball for four fun-filled days.

Overseen by Netball South development officers Brooke Morshuis, Hannah Coutts and Olivia Bates, the programme featured everything from nutrition to specialist skills – even podiatry.

Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel players Jodi Brown, Phillipa Finch and each conducted sessions relating to their respective areas of the court which players and coaches alike found extremely valuable.

The camp also catered for coach and umpire development. Six umpires completed a programme led by Joyce Andrew, while Noeline Scott conducted a coaching equivalent with the 12 coaches involved.

Loads of fun at netball holiday programmes

School holidays were full of netball fun for youngsters throughout our Zone.

In Wyndham, over 70 eager netballers attended the two-day Menzies Netball Camp , soaking up the impressive range of knowledge on offer.

Netball South development officer Brooke Morshuis hosted a two-day holiday programme in Oamaru with 38 children participating in a host of activities. Netball South strongly represented in Glasgow Silver Ferns Jodi Brown and Shannon Francois and international umpire Jono Bredin are proudly flying the flag for Netball South at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Jodi and Shannon are striving for New Zealand‟s third consecutive gold medal and we‟re right behind them in the quest for the three-peat!

Jono, from Dunedin, is one of two New Zealand umpires selected to officiate at the prestigious event, joining Northern‟s Yvonne Morgan.

For a dedicated umpire like Bredin, it‟s the “pinnacle” of officiating.

“Because it only comes around every four years, the Commonwealth Games does feel special,” he said.

“It is the pinnacle for me because it‟s not just netball like our own World Championships – you get to go to an event with the world‟s best athletes and officials from so many sports. Just being in that environment you can learn so much and meet some incredible people.”

After a hectic season to date with the whistle, Bredin is keen to continue the form which has seen him ranked number one in New Zealand.

Umpires will be assessed daily by a panel at the Games with appointments for medal matches determined by their individual performances.

“You‟re only as good as your last game so the pressure is always there to perform.”

Bredin is no stranger to the elite ranks, controlling games at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and the World Netball Championships in Singapore in 2011.

From the aerial nature of the Caribbean to the unpredictability of the African nations, each country injected their own flair on court.

“You come across very different styles and that‟s the challenge of umpiring international netball,” Bredin said.

“Once players pull those international dresses on and are representing their country, it‟s a different level of intensity.”

Since his debut on the international scene in 2009, Bredin, 29, has notched up an impressive resume of fixtures, including 42 Test matches around the globe. He will add to the tally further after being appointed to the Australia versus England Test Series in Australia in October.

Ranked as the leading New Zealand umpire, his skills earned him the ANZ Championship grand final in both 2013 and 2014 and he now boasts 71 trans-Tasman league games to his credit.

Whistle while you work …

Netball South umpires are continue to set the standard when it comes to officiating.

Invercargill‟s Gracey Farquharson and Georgina Bell have achieved their NZ Award, while Dunedin‟s Kirsty Thwaites gained a NZ B Award earlier in the season.

“They is testament to the umpire development pathways we have in place and it‟s fantastic to see their hard work pay off. I‟m very proud of them,” Netball South match officials development officer Colleen Bond said.

Gracey was appointed to umpire at the New Zealand Age Group U17 Championships in North Harbour earlier this month, while Kirsty, Kristie Simpson and Alannah Robinson umpired U19 and U23 Championships Reserve Ken in Dunedin. Strong performances saw Kristie appointed to the U23 final Metekingu, Tania Law and Kristie between Netball South and Waikato/Bay of Plenty. Simpson prepare for the U23 final. Alison Cormack and Colleen Bond were part of the Coaching Panel at the event, providing valuable feedback to umpires.

Congratulations also to Central Southland‟s Jared Simpson and Invercargill‟s Carol Chamberlain who achieved their zone awards recently.

Umpires to receive Zone Endorsement Awards include Dunedin‟s Adrienne Ensor, Irene Mather and Natasha Flack.

The Year 9 and 10 Tournament held in Christchurch saw four of our emerging umpires appointed to to the three finals – an outstanding effort.

Samantha Metherell (North Otago) and Ashleigh Hoten Walker Colleen and Alison providing (Central Southland) - Year 9 final feedback at the U23 event. Bailey Unahi (Central Southland) – Combined Year 9/10 final Morgan Craig (Eastern Southland) – Year 10 final

All four umpires have a Centre Award and NZ Zone theory qualification and are now working very hard to achieve a Zone Award - an achievable goal within their sights if their recent efforts are any indication.

Gracey was one of five Umpire Coaches working with umpires at the three-day tournament.

Back to Basics Roadshow proves popular at Centres

It is essential that the basics of netball are being coached at an early age. To assist coaches with what these basics should look like, Noeline Scott (NNZ CoachForce) and Rosie De Goldi (Community Netball Manager) presented a Back to Basics Roadshow to every centre in the South Zone.

A total of 158 coaches and 122 players were exposed to different activities of attack – pivoting, turning fully and getting free, plus defence – executing the phases of defence effectively so that turnovers are created.

Upcoming modules Calendar of Events Player Centred Coaching Monday 28th July 6pm Mt Aspiring College, Wanaka

Centre Pass Tuesday 29th July 6pm Cromwell Sports Centre, Cromwell

Team Building Tuesday 12th August 6pm Cromwell Sports Centre, Cromwell

Skill Analysis Friday 22nd August 6pm Molyneux Netball Pavilion, Alexandra

Planning Friday 29th August 6pm Molyneux Netball Pavilion, Alexandra

Community Coach Award Module weekend Friday 5th – Sunday 7th September Mt Aspiring College, Wanaka

Steel netballers Gina Crampton and Te Paea Selby-Rickit share their knowledge at the Back to Basics Roadshow in Oamaru last month. Player Profile: Danielle Gray

Tenacious defender Danielle Gray has made quite an impact since bursting onto the Dunedin netball scene this season.

Since picking up her first netball at the age of five, Danielle has honed her skills in the lower North Island. Opting to study Health Sciences at Otago University this year, she now calls Dunedin home.

“I love the student lifestyle down here,” she said.

Her first season of netball in the deep south has also made an impression.

“I actually think it‟s good for the younger players – they‟ve very good at providing development opportunities and bringing on their young talent,” she said.

“It‟s also a lot tougher down here to get into teams but that‟s good for you because it pushes you harder.”

Danielle is a member of the College team, which includes Steel players Stacey Peeters and .

“I really enjoy the competitive side of netball. Coming down here has allowed me to play with a lot of top netballers and it‟s really inspiring to be alongside them. It‟s really great that the ANZ Championship players still turn out for their club … you don‟t see that as much in the North Island.”

A star performer at the National U19 championships earlier this month, Danielle was the only Netball South player named in the tournament selection.

“It was a huge achievement and it‟s nice to be recognised in that way,” she said.

Her Dunedin team placed 8th overall – a gut-wrenching quarter final loss ultimately effecting their campaign.

“I think we could have done a little better … we had a lot more potential than we showed.”

Danielle is also adjusting to a new position on court, switching from a circle defender onto the wing.

“I‟m definitely still working on it – I‟ve got a lot of improvement to make as it‟s a completely different position,” she said.

“I actually like not having so much pressure on me. As a circle defender, you‟re the last line of defence to that ball going in. Instead, I‟m really enjoying the off-the-ball aspect of wing defence – it‟s challenging.”

So close, yet so far! In the end, missing out on a place in the finals of the ANZ Championship came down to two points and a few goals.

Earning 5th overall was our highest placing since featuring in the playoffs in 2010, a definite improvement on our previous few years. But, in a strange kind of way, being so close is even more frustrating. It makes you over-analyse every missed shot, failed intercept and narrow loss.

Ultimately, it came down to the disappointing start to our 2014 campaign. Two fist-pumping early wins over Aussie teams were countered by gut-wrenching losses to our fellow kiwis. By round nine, we had just three wins to our credit and something needed to change - quickly.

I‟m proud to say from that point on we remained unbeaten. Our final four victories included upset wins over the highly-rated Magic and the in-form Melbourne Vixens, who went on to claim the silverware in the Grand Final.

The superstitious among us will tell you the emergence of our striking magenta Steel dress proved the catalyst to our change in fortunes. I prefer to think we reaped the rewards of good, old-fashioned commitment, teamwork and a „never say die‟ attitude.

Now it‟s time to focus on 2015 and, for those of us who have already re-signed, we are eagerly anticipating the remaining spots on our roster being filled. I‟m excited to see what next season brings and witnessing this franchise continuing to evolve.

From all of us in the team, thank you for Standing Behind the Steel. Your support is unwavering and ignites our passion – ultimately, we play for you.

New World Volunteer Awards – get your entries in now!

Entries for the New World Netball Volunteer Awards 2014 are now open. The National Awards recognise the tremendous efforts that our volunteers make on a daily basis, to keep netball running every year. As in previous years, there are four categories and they are as follows:

• Official • Coach • Administrator • Youth

We know that there are incredible volunteers in every Centre, so please think about who is in your Centre and nominate them for an award. A volunteer does not have to have been involved in Netball for a lifetime, they may have made a huge contribution over the last 12 months and that makes them equally worthy of nomination.

Winners in each category (along with a friend) will be awarded with an all-expenses paid trip to Auckland, attend the match day hospitality and get a great seat for the Constellation Cup test match! All entries must be submitted to [email protected] by 20 August as entries must be with Netball New Zealand by Wednesday 27 August. New Zealand Junior Netball Festival

Global Games are specialist event and tour managers; working in conjunction with key associates and sporting bodies to run some of the country‟s largest junior sporting tournaments and festivals; in Auckland, Taupo and Queenstown.

We have a passion for sport travel and the logistics of national and worldwide touring to our own, and other events. We have an extensive network of contacts to meet the needs and requirements of those traveling - whether you‟re a group of 600, or a VIP on a one off trip. We have helped facilitate over 450 tours for groups and individuals from across the country and the world.

The Junior Netball Festival is designed to give young netball players of all skills the chance to play in a large junior netball tournament on a fantastic end of season trip in beautiful Taupo, against teams from all over New Zealand.

When: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September 2014 Venue: Owen Delany Park, Taupo Grades: Year 7 & Y8 mixed, Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10

If you are interested in entering a team/s please contact Cathy Roa on [email protected] , (04) 2378 238, 021 359 463 or go to our website www.globalgames.co.nz