Three teams of committed and excited east Auckland netball players take to the courts in Wellington from today contesting the indoor super league national championships.
The trio of sides from the Eastern Pakuranga indoor netball club that plays out of Pakuranga Action Sports Indoor Centre are made up of two under-15 girls’ teams, and one under-17 mixed side of girls and boys.
They’ve qualified for the nationals from their results achieved in the Auckland indoor super league, which involves competing against other centres across the region such as Central, Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore.
The nationals in Wellington run until January 26.
When the Times visited Pakuranga Action Indoor Centre before the teams departed for the capital, centre manager and Howick Pakuranga Mixed Men’s Netball Association president Chrissy Grey and Christina Nicholls talked of Auckland’s indoor netball scene and the progress Eastern Pakuranga has made in recent times.
One thing’s for certain; the indoor netball scene out east is busy and popular.
They say indoor netball is played in the off-season from the traditional outdoor winter competitions, specifically staged for players who can’t get enough of the game and want to be involved more-or-less all-year round.
Local teams made up of junior, women’s, and men’s and women’s mixed players take the courts at Pakuranga Action Indoor Centre on Mondays through to Wednesday in competitive and social grades.
Then leading players especially in the junior ranks are chosen for the association’s sides in the Auckland indoor super league, with matches on Saturdays.
Played on indoor courts with netting around the sides, a major difference between indoor and outdoor netball is players can pass and bounce the ball off the side nets.
At the nationals, there is two days of games with six players-a-side, and two days with seven-a-side fixtures.
And there is a pathway to be chosen to represent New Zealand, as there are tri-nations international tournaments.
“It’s good to give the kids the space to come and play netball during the off-season,” says Grey.
“It’s good for their fitness. We saw a need to give them somewhere to play and it grew from there. It’s all about learning how to play and getting better at it.
“It’s a good place for the boys, as indoor was the only space where they can come and play netball.
“And some of our boys have gone on to play for New Zealand.”
Grey says the Eastern Pakuranga club is a smaller association than others in Auckland, and often younger emerging players with great talent are encouraged to move to other bigger associations such as Manukau to develop their skills because of more coaching resources.
But, she says, after years of toil, Eastern Pakuranga had success at the nationals in 2023, with their under-15s winning “double gold” in both the six-a-side and seven-a-side comps, because “the kids had stuck together” over a few years and developed into a champion unit.
- The Pakuranga Action Indoor Centre is at 30 Ben Lomond Crescent. For more information, contact Mark Gardiner on 027 222 6749 or email pakuranga@actionindoorsports.com or go online to www.actionindoorsports.com/pakuranga.
