For the first time, the Western region’s best and brightest will have the opportunity to put their name forward for the NSW under 17s side without having to travel over the mountains to do so.
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In a landmark move Netball NSW established regional trials this year, with Orange hosting Western’s try-out at Sir Neville Howse Stadium on Saturday.
The first regional trial, for the Northern zone, was a fortnight ago in Armidale.
NSW Swifts coach Briony Akle and Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald will watch over the group as it runs through trials and games from 10am onward on Saturday.
I think this is a wonderful initiative by Netball NSW to take trials out to regional areas of New South Wales where the game is such a strong part of local communities,” Fitzgerald said.
“When you see the make-up of many NSW State teams and our professional franchises there have been fantastic players from rural areas who have represented themselves and their communities in wonderful fashion, as well as going on the achieve great things at the highest level of the game.
“We are lucky to have excellent playing numbers across the state to pick from but it’s important to ensure we give those players the best chance to show what they can do.”
Akle echoed Fitzgerald’s sentiments and is excited to see what potential superstars can be uncovered at the trials, the last of which is at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
“NSW is a big geographical area and getting to Sydney is not easy for some people so I’m delighted that Netball NSW is travelling out to these areas to ensure regional athletes have the same opportunities as metro-based ones,” she said.
“I have always loved the commitment and passion shown by netballers from regional areas, who make huge sacrifices to give themselves the best shot at making it in this sport and I’m sure we’ll see some top talent on our travels.”
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
