Team lists and fixtures have been confirmed for the 2023 National Netball Championships, with almost two-hundred emerging netballers to compete for their states and territories next month.
Netball Australia’s 17/U and 19/U pathway competition is set to be contested across the week of April 11 - 16 at CDU Stadium in Marrara, located north of Darwin’s city centre.
The Championships will mark ten years since the Northern Territory has hosted the event, the last time being 2013.
Sixteen teams will compete in the pathway competition, with 192 of Australia’s emerging netballers set to take to the court.
Click to see the full 17/U fixture here.
Click to see the full 19/U fixture here.
The fixture for the National Netball Championships includes an array of back-to-back matches for the netball community featuring rising stars from right around the country.
Across both age groups, 72 matches will be played with 56 preliminary round match ups and 16 finals matches.
"To say we are excited is an understatement,” Netball Northern Territory Executive Officer and Pathway Manager, Penny Shearer, said.
“Our athletes have been working hard since October last year to prepare for this event and for them to be able to showcase their skills in front a home crowd is even more special, with families being able to support loved ones in person.
“This is a significant opportunity for our entire netball community to be involved in.”
The nominated athletes to compete, ranging from 14 to 19 years old, encapsulate Australia’s emerging netball talent who have the potential to drive the future direction of netball at an elite level.
Amongst the names listed include 2023 Suncorp Super Netball training partners Sophie Casey (Adelaide Thunderbirds/ Netball South Australia), Olivia Wilkinson (Collingwood Magpies/ Netball Victoria) and Grace Whyte (NSW Swifts/ Netball New South Wales).
Wilkinson and Casey took to the court in the Suncorp Team Girls Cup last month, with Wilkinson shooting nine goals from thirteen attempts.
Wilkinson, who will vice-captain the Victorian team in Darwin, said she is looking forward to implementing some newfound knowledge from the Magpies in April.
“I think one of the biggest benefits will be sharing with the team my knowledge and learnings from being in the Collingwood environment, as well as showcasing skills and mindset that I have refined and progressed whilst being at Collingwood,” she said.
“I think one of big focuses for me being the 19/U vice-captain will be bringing some different aspects of how our Collingwood captains Geva Mentor, Ash Brazill and Kelsey Browne lead. I look forward to working cohesively with our co-captions to lead our Victorian team as well as they do for Collingwood."
Find the named 19/U team lists here and 17/U team lists here.
The 2023 National Netball Championships will be available to watch live, on-demand and free via Kayo Freebies.
Event tickets are also available for purchase now via trybooking.com.
