NETBALL - Star drawcard first for North

More than 1000 future Irene van Dyks will converge on Whangarei at the end of the month when the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Netball Championships are held in the North for the first time.
The Kensington Netball Courts will be packed to capacity during the week-long regional competition starting on August 27, but the bonus of holding it up here is that more Northland schools are able to take part, Netball North regional manager Melissa Walker says.
"It means that a school such as Taipa Area School can compete for the first time, because it's that much closer for them," she said.
The competition, which began in 1999 and has been held in Mt Maunganui for the past two years, includes college teams from Waikato, Counties-Manukau, Bay of Plenty, Auckland-Waitakere, North Harbour and Northland.
In the past, Walker said, the tournament had seen high-profile netball names emerge, such as Kawakawa's Samoan international Catherine Latu, and Silver Ferns Laura Langman and Paula Griffin.
"It's certainly an important tournament, and it is where some of the big-name players first made their mark in the game."
Certainly, some of the girls who attend the tournament will appreciate the chance to showcase their talents in front of some of the visiting coaches from the metropolitan areas.
Ten Northland teams will compete at the tournament - three more than in the Bay of Plenty tournament last year.
The logistics of hosting such a massive tournament were huge, Walker said, and she had appreciated the co-operation her organising committee had received from the Whangarei District Council and Sport Northland in particular.
"I think we've had good input from the Whangarei Netball Centre as well, once they realised they were hosting the event and it wasn't Netball North Harbour and I think they're getting more and more excited every time we go up and have planning meetings."
Counting the 87 teams, with about 12 girls in each team, and adding the coaches, trainers and parents, around 1200 people are expected to attend the tournament daily, making it a big week for Whangarei businesses as well.
"They all have accommodation organised by now, which is pretty impressive. Don't try getting a bed in town that week," Walker quipped.
The tournament will feature competition in three divisions, depending on previous year's rankings - all new entries have to start in the C Division.
The majority of the organisation is falling on Walker's shoulders, making it a busy time for the co-ordinator. She is also the area's NPC coach and, on top of organising security, food, and simply making sure the tournament goes according to plan, she is due to announce the her NPC line-up on Monday.