ACT Men’s and Mixed Netball welcomed by Netball ACT
The Netball ACT Board has voted to formally affiliate ACT Men’s and Mixed Netball as a Member Association of Netball ACT.
The 2020 Netball Australia State of the Game review stated that almost 80,000 men currently play netball across Australia and it saw 28% growth between 2016-2019. The report went on to say that there is an opportunity to bring these male participants into the sport and widen its opportunities for growth in all roles including as fans of the women’s game.
The latest SportAUS participation data shows that male participants account for 9.8% of total participants and 12.7% of adults.
Netball ACT CEO, Matthew Battams is excited to formally welcome ACT Men’s and Mixed Netball to the Netball ACT family.
“Netball ACT has welcomed male participation in our sport for a number of years via mixed social competitions and for the past four years has included a Men’s Division in the HCF State League. However, this recent decision by the Board of Netball ACT will significantly enhance the support that can be offered”.
ACT Men’s and Mixed Netball President, Patrick Cronin is equally excited about the formal recognition.
“Men’s participation has been growing rapidly in the ACT in recent years and we are very excited to be formally partnering with Netball ACT to continue to grow the successful program that we have been building since 2016”.
“We have been lucky to have the support of Netball ACT since our Association re-emerged in 2016, but this formal affiliation will mean our Association can continue to grow in line with the strategic goals of the entire netball community across Canberra. This will ensure that we give men and boys an opportunity to play netball at an elite level.”
“This is an important step in boosting opportunities for Canberrans to participate in this exciting game”, he said.
Netball ACT President, Sue Scanlan believes that this is a natural next step in the evolution of our sport in the ACT.
“This formal recognition will allow further development of male players, coaches and umpires and will assist in the delivery of greater grassroots participation products for boys, men and mixed teams”.
The fourth round of the HCF State League Men’s Division will be played at 7.30pm on Friday night at the SolarHub ACT Netball Centre at Lyneham. Match of the round will be between South Canberra and Canberra, currently placed 3rdand 4th on the ladder respectively.
Griffs Chat with Carly Brown!
Carly Brown is part of our wonderful team white! She has represented the ACT at the AMMNA Championships in 2017 and 2018 and was then selected to represent Australia in 2017 in New Zealand and 2018 in PNG.
Carly you’ve just received your National A Badge! A huge congrats firstly but how does it feel to have achieved this?
Achieving my A still feels incredibly surreal. I had a stilted year in 2019 with an achilles injury and sickness at key times during the season. I had amazing support from coaches, Carmel Weatherburn and JP Kanis, but it is a huge relief to reach that marker. It wasn’t easy, but so rewarding, I look forward to the next challenge
How have you been keeping busy the last few months?
The last few months have been busy with State League, NCNC On Saturday and also helping with NACT Junior Champs- in between work has been pretty busy as has been managing some time in there with my family.
Are there any significant challenges you have faced and how have you dealt with them?
Covid and 2020 have presented so many challenges to the Netball community. I had to mentally reset my goals this year with limited or no gym access and almost no match play leading into season. I had to find various ways to challenge myself physically so my fitness would allow me to focus mentally. Challenging myself to run outside, longer distance with sprints and mixed HIIT/strength sessions was key. But more so was mentally resetting and processing feedback after hitting obstacles and adjusting my goal setting at start of year- having a bestie who provides great advice to fix your head space also helps (thanks Renee Grima)!
What are you looking forward to most about the 2021 netball season?
In 2021, I am really looking forward to AMMNA and testing myself in that environment again. But I am mostly looking forward to umpiring without the pressure to reach the “A” badge and challenging myself to consolidate those skills. Also keen to watch my daughter play her 2nd year of Netty!
Who is your tip to win the 2020 Suncorp Grand Final?
Tip for SGF- vixens! I have loved Vixens and all their variations since I was a little girl watching their coach, Simone McKinnis own WD. Their ability to flawlessly alternate players and force turnovers makes them formidable. I hope they can farewell Thwaites and Phillip with a premiership.
Annual General Meeting
The ACTMMNA AGM for date for 2024 is still being confirmed. Keep and eye on socials and our website for the date release. The location will be either via virtual meeting or in person will be confirmed with the agenda.
Youth Boys Netball
Coming soon!!
Keep an eye on our socials for upcoming oppourtunities for youth boys to get involved in Netball!
