No more swapping uniforms

Kaitaia College Senior A netball girls are passionate about their game.

They've had to be, given that the college could only afford two sets of uniforms for three teams, so they've been borrowing a strip from their mates before they go on to the court.

That problem was officially resolved on Friday, when ANZ Bank Kaitaia manager Rachael Toia arrived at the college with a $1000 ANZ netball grant, part of $100,000 which the bank is giving to netball clubs, social teams, fans and schools around the country.

"More than 140,000 Kiwis play netball, making it one of the nation's favourite sports," she said.

"With all those players there is a huge demand for gear, uniforms, coaching support, court repairs and travel assistance. Many schools also need the basics such as netball goals and balls.

"Kaitaia College impressed us with their enthusiasm for netball. The school has grown from no teams to three in only three years, and now there are lots of kids wanting to play.

"The school was in serious need of netball resources, and had to borrow uniforms off their local netball centre. We wanted to give these players confidence when they step out on to the court by paying for brand new skirts and tops."

College sports co-ordinator Janita (Juice) Brown said the grant would make a huge difference to netball at the school.

"I have worked hard to create a positive and dynamic atmosphere for netball at Kaitaia College," she said.

"There are a lot of talented and motivated netballers who are keen to represent the school, but we simply don't have the resources to keep up with demand.

"We have managed to raise funds to provide resources for two teams but were struggling to get enough to expand the sport within the school. A direct result of the grant is that we are now able to provide uniforms for a third team, who will now be able to present themselves with pride rather than making do with leftovers from other teams."

The girls qualified for the grant by registering online and attracting the required number of Facebook "likes" and will give their new uniforms their first major workout at the upper North Island secondary school tournament in Auckland in September.

There was still time to apply for grants, Ms Toia added, with applications closing (on www.anznetball.co.z) on Sunday.