Social-league feedback sought

SEEKING FEEDBACK: Members of Gisborne Netball Centre’s Youth Activation Group on the netball courts. They are (from left) Jacqueline Te Kani-Nankivell, Alani McLeod, Jaykayaar Wimutu-Muir, Fariha Fatema, Dipasha Narayan, Lily Bremner and Samara McLeod. Picture by Liam Clayton

Organisers of a netball initiative set up by youth for youth are seeking feedback on their plans for a new social league.

Gisborne Netball Centre's newly formed Youth Activation Group is made up of 11 girls from four local high schools.

It is part of a wider national programme run by Sport New Zealand and Netball New Zealand to get more secondary school students interested in the code.

The group has just released a survey on a proposed summer league that would start in Term 4 and run for six weeks.

The survey seeks the opinions of girls aged 12 to 18 on how the sport could be made more appealing to those who have never played, or those who have stopped playing but might want to get back into it. And they want those ideas to work while preserving what makes the sport fun for those already taking part.

The group started meeting over Zoom during lockdown and has members of widely varying skills.

Fariha Fatema had never touched a netball before she joined the group. She sees it as an opportunity to offer her unique perspective to preparations for the proposed league.

A Year 10 student at Gisborne Girls' High School, she moved to the region in 2018. She said her home country, Bangladesh, had no space for netball courts so girls had no opportunity to play. And it was daunting to start a new sport in front of good players.

“I'm a little nervous stepping outside my comfort zone but if the focus is only on having fun, this could be the thing that I am looking for.”

Year 10 student Samara McLeod said the group saw the league this year as a pilot and intended to gather feedback to create a more permanent summer league.

“It could be the start of something really great and unique for our region,” she said.

“We're given the opportunity to be heard and make a positive difference for youth.”

The survey can be found on Gisborne Netball Centre's Facebook page or website and will be open for two weeks.