Netball for Schools

Office Contact Details

Your main contact for the 2020 Junior Season is Administrator Kirsten Behl

Phone:                         567 5971

Email:                           admin@netballhuttvalley.co.nz

Facebook:                   www.facebook.com/NetballHuttValley

Important Dates and Forms for Schools

For information about school netball options by age group and other useful information please read further down this page.  Information has been updated for the shorter season following Covid-19 restrictions.

For a list of dates to add to your school's calendar for the junior season (and to download a printable copy) please see our website HERE

For information about programmes for individuals (after school, holiday sessions etc) that your students may be interested in, please see HERE.

For copies of forms you need to enter your school's teams, please see HERE

Summary of details for each age group:

Note, pricing has been reduced for the 2020 season.  Thank you to Netball NZ and Netball Central Zone who have removed/reduced their affiliation fees.  Team entry for Year 7-8 will be half price at $228, and for Year 5-6 will be half price at $205.  Year 3-4 is half price at $175/team.

This table is best viewed on a desktop computer so that you can see all columns.

 

Year 1-2

Year 3-4

Year 5-6

Year 7-8

Venue

Taita Courts

Taita Courts

Taita Courts and Walter Nash Centre

Taita Courts

Playing Day

Saturday

Saturday

Monday afternoon

Saturday

Time

9 or 10am, set time allocated for each team. 11am may be used if high numbers of registrations.

Usually between 9am and 4pm. Teams given a set time, which can change for round two to adjust grades.

Usually 4.00, 4.45 and 5.30pm rounds. Times may be a little earlier/later to clear courts between rounds for Covid.

Rounds are usually from 9am to 4pm.

Game

4 v 4

5 v 5

6 v 6

7 v 7

Game Day Format

Just under an hour. Include warm up and skills led by our coordinators for approx ½ hour, then 2 x 8min halves for the game, then group cooldown.

Just under an hour. Teams warm themselves up prior, then have skills session led by our coordinators, then 3 x 8 min thirds for the game, then team cools down.

Games are 4 x 8 minute quarters. (grading games are only 2 halves).

Games are 4 x 10 minute quarters. (Grading games are only 2 halves)

Court Size

Played across 1/3 of court

2/3 of court

Full court

Full court

Goal Post

Hula hoops held up by adults

2.6m (mobile post used)

2.6m

Full height (3.05m)

Ball

Super Grip ball - provided

Size 4

Size 4

Size 5

Bibs

Provided on day

A, A, C, D, D

A, A, C, C, D, D

GK, GD, WD, C, WA, GA, GS

What to bring

Bring a small first aid kit.

Size 4 ball for warm up & game. Bibs. Small first aid kit.

Size 4 balls, bibs, and a first aid kit

Size 5 balls, bibs, and a first aid kit.

Umpire

Team’s helper/coach on court during game time. No whistle.

Umpire with whistle required – teams to provide

Rules

Rules for each age group can be found on our website.   Please note that players in ALL of our junior netball grades/programmes should have a minimum of a half game each week – this includes top intermediate grades and is in line with Netball NZ’s Junior Policy.

Scoring

No official score taken, no scorecard to collect

Register players on card. Complete match evaluation at end. Optional – order a set of team stickers for $2

Register players on card. Record the score. Each team provides a scorer. Set of team stickers available for $2.

Grading

Teams grouped by age and previous players. Many schools enter mixed Year 1-2 teams, but some have Year 1 or Year 2 only.

Schools suggest grade on team entry form. We also look at player details to group teams for each round. Teams may be moved into a different group for Round Two to adjust grading.

Teams put into grading sections and play two weeks of grading games, then placed in a round one grade. Graded again for round two. Grading uses the scorecard evaluations completed.

Teams put into grading sections and play three weeks of grading games, then placed in a round one grade. Graded again for round two. Grading based on scores and statistics.

Playing Dates

 

6 weeks (for Year 1-2 you need to enter for each term separately)

Term 1 – 22 Feb to 28 March. Rain Day 4 April.

Term 4 – 31 Oct to 5 Dec. Rain day SUNDAY 6 Dec.

New dates for 2020:

8 weeks in Term 3:

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 August, and 5, 12, 19 September

Grading: 22 & 29 June

Round 1 (4 games): 27 July, 3, 10 & 17 August

Round 2 (5 games): 24, 31 Aug, 7, 14 & 21 Sept.

Grading: 20, 27 June and 4 July (note first weekend of holidays)

Round 1 (5 games): 25 July, 1, 8, 15 & 22 Aug

Round 2 (5 games):29 Aug, 5, 12, 19, 26 Sept (note first weekend of holidays)

Prizegiving

Held on final day for each term as part of their session. (no prizegiving event in 2020 under Level 2) 

No prizegiving day in 2020.

 

Practice

Not needed

Optional practice at school

Most teams practice

Most teams practice

Coach

Called a ‘Star Helper’. Assists team during the session and on court at game time

Year 3-4 Coach, assists team during session and on court at game time

Year 5-6 coach

Year 7-8 Coach

Coach Workshops

Workshops are held at the Taita Courts (Yellow Pavilion). FREE and compulsory for Year 1-6 coaches. No prior netball experience required.   We keep a list of attendees who do not need to attend the same workshop again. Register on your team’s entry form Note – training is specific to this programme, even coaches experienced in netball need to attend

Optional, but strongly recommended for Year 7-8 Coaches ($15) register online HERE.

Coaches receive access to an online resource for their age group full of coaching points, skill activities and practice plans for the season.

Coach Workshop Dates

 

Term 1 - Thurs 20 February 7-8.30pm

Term 4 - Wed 28 October 7.00-8.30pm

Tuesday 30 June 6.30-8.00pm

OR

Saturday 25 July 3.00-4.30pm

Mon 15 June 6.30-8.00pm

OR

Thursday 23 July 6.00-7.30PM

Tues 16 June 6.00-8.00pm

 

Uniform

Not required, matching tops are helpful though.

Team to wear matching uniform as registered with NHV. Teams are welcome to wear PE uniform of shorts and tops, netball dresses are not required.

Extra layers

 

Thermal tops and leggings in school’s registered colour may be worn under uniforms for outdoor games.

Year 3-4 are encouraged to wear extra layers for the skill sessions on cooler days.

Thermal tops in school’s registered colour may be worn under uniform. No leggings.

Entry Form

NHV Form 3b – due 14 February for Term 1 and 23 October for Term 4

NHV Form 1b due 8 June 2020 to enter your teams for full season. Player names for all entered teams due on form 3a/3c on 8 June 2020.   Forms can be found HERE

Entry Fees

(unchanged for 2020, invoiced, due 1 June)

$45 per individual (register online) or $180 per team (for one term) of 4-7 players. A team of 6 players is a good number.

$175 per team of up to 9 players (7 is a good number). This covers full season and is half of usual fee.

$205 per team – this covers full season. This is half of usual fee.

$228 per team – this covers full season. This is half of usual fee.

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

See below for information on the following (alphabetical):

  • Cancellations and Rain Out Days
  • Coach Development
  • Defaults
  • Equipment
  • First Aid
  • Gold Coin Days & Foodbank Appeal
  • Grading
  • Jewellery
  • McDonalds Sponsorship
  • Mixed teams
  • NetballSmart
  • Players – how to register, options for when you are short of players
  • Scoring
  • Umpires
  • Uniforms
  • Year 7&8 Player Development Programme

Cancellations and Rain Out Days

NOTE – Games inside Walter Nash Centre will not be rained off! Please check the draw carefully as Monday night teams have a turn to play indoors during the season.

Cancellations will be advised on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/NetballHuttValley with a follow up email sent to coaches/school contacts when we are able. Groups of rounds may be cancelled rather than the whole day at once.  For Mondays we aim to make any announcements by 2pm, and on Saturdays by 8am or at least an hour prior to any round affected if the round/s cancelled are later in the day. The office phone is not monitored on Saturdays or Monday afternoons, so please don’t call us for cancellation updates.

In 2020 there is no provision for rain out days due to the condensed season.  We won't be able to catch up on missed games.

We take into account several forecasts when making a decision. As we do not play on turf, we can play when it is wet. If it is wet but not windy or particularly cold then netball will likely be on. The younger age groups that have skill sessions on game day are more likely to be postponed if the weather is not ideal. Intermediate netball is rarely cancelled. On colder days the uniform rules are relaxed for juniors, who can wear extra layers under their bib if needed.

Coach Development

There are coach workshops available for each futureFERNS age group. The dates are in the table above. These workshops are all held at the Taita Courts in the yellow pavilion building. Participants should wear comfy shoes and warm clothes for the optional (walking pace) outdoor/practical sections of the workshops, and plan to arrive a little early to sign in. Coaches will receive online access to a resource full of coaching points, activities and session plans for the season.

We encourage all coaches (especially of Year 7 +) to attend a NetballSmart workshop. See below for more NetballSmart information.

For coaches looking for further development, please see our website HERE for more information about the coach development pathway and upcoming coach events. There are Netball NZ workshops and also local ‘informal’ workshops during the season.

There are also now several free online modules that are a good first step for coaches. Find out more about Netball NZ’s online portal HERE.

Defaults

For Year 1-2 and 3-4 futureFERNS there are no defaults.   For these, you need fewer players for games, and it is non-competitive so we can ‘share’ players to ensure everyone gets a game. Please advise our Coordinator on arrival if you are short of players on the day.

For Years 5-8: The first default (notified on time) for each school team is free. Late defaults and further defaults will incur a fee as it is really unfair on the opposition to miss out on a game. Please consider the impact of defaulting before you take this step. To avoid a default, we can register additional players for your team at no charge, or you can take the court with five players. The other team may be happy to loan you a player and play a ‘friendly’ match so that players don’t miss out on their netball. Please get in touch to talk through your options before defaulting.

Defaults for Saturday and Monday games need to be advised by email or phone (in person) by 12 noon on Friday. If your call is not answered, please call the cell-phone number on our answerphone, to ensure we do get your message. In extreme circumstances we will extend the deadline for Monday defaults to 9am on that morning.

Equipment

We recommend Sports Distributors as a supplier for your netball equipment. We suggest pop over bibs for junior teams as you can use them for both trainings and games. They can also be worn over warm layers, so for children they are a better choice than Velcro bibs.

We have a small selection of items available for sale at discounted prices: 6v6 bibs for $25, 5v5 bibs for $20, and finger grip whistles for $10. Bibs can be ordered by email and either invoiced or purchased via EFTPOS on collection.

All teams should have a small first aid kit that includes plasters.

Year 1-2 – we provide all balls, bibs and equipment on the day. We use Super Grip 20cm balls (PG844 on Sports Distributors) These are awesome for children learning to pass and catch so you may like some for home or school (around $10 each).

Year 3-4 – we provide the balls and equipment for the skills session on game day. Schools should provide each team with a size 4 netball to use at game time. You may need more balls if teams are training during the week (optional, a lot don’t train). Teams need to provide their own set of 5 bibs: A, A, C, D, D, or a set of regular netball bibs with the WA and WD taken out.   Goal posts used are 2.6m high. As only 2/3 of the court is used we use portable posts on game day at one end, most schools won’t need to worry about extra posts as training sessions are short and there are plenty of activities using one post or no posts.

Year 5-6 – teams need their own size 4 ball and a set of 6 bibs (A A C C D D). Goal posts used are 2.6m high, and a full court is used.   As most teams will have a practice session they will likely need some more balls and some marker cones/spots or chalk.

Year 7-8 – teams use full height goal posts and regular 7 v 7 bibs. Additional balls and marker cones/spots or chalk are handy for training sessions.

First Aid

Teams need to have their own first aid kit regardless of which day or venue they are playing at. Ice is available at the Taita Courts.  

Gold Coin Days & Foodbank Appeal

There will be no gold coin days in 2020

Our annual foodbank appeal has been rescheduled and will be held in September if we are at Level 1.  Donations of non perishable food items can be made at the registration desk/office on these dates and will be donated to our local foodbank.

Grading

Year 1-2: many teams entered are mixed Year 1-2, and some schools enter teams in age groups. We group teams to try make a draw for game time where older/more experienced teams don’t play teams with more new entrants where possible.

Year 3-4: teams are grouped into round times with other similar teams. We refer to the grading recommended by schools when they enter their team as well as looking at the ages of and number of returning players. Please see the grading guidelines (download at end of this page). We can move teams at the end of round one into a new group for round two if necessary to try and get the most evenly contested games that we can.

Year 5-6: Please see the grading guidelines (download at end of this page) to suggest a good grade for your teams. Teams will be split into grading sections and play two weeks of grading games. On these days teams play two shorter games instead of one regular game. Then, based on the match evaluations on the score cards teams will be placed into round one grades. Teams will be re-graded again before round two starts and teams may move several grades up or down in order to get them in a group where they will get more evenly matched games. It is very important that coaches complete the match cards every week and provide extra comments where relevant to assist with this process.

Year 7-8: Please suggest a grade for your team when you enter them. Schools tend to enter most teams in the same grades, so then we spread them out into grading sections and teams play three weeks of grading games. On these days, each team will play two shorter games instead of one regular game. Teams will then be sorted into round one grades in consultation with our grading committee. Results are reviewed once again at the end of round one and teams re-graded for round two. There is no automatic promotion/relegation and teams may move several grades up or down if necessary to get them into a grade where they should experience more evenly contested games.

Jewellery

Every season we get enquiries about earrings. Please remind your school’s players that the netball season is NOT a good time to get ears pierced!   No jewellery may be worn for netball and earrings may NOT be taped.  Medic alert bracelets may be taped, but no other adornments.  Fingernails should be short and smooth and hair tied back.  This is for the safety of all players – it is easy in netball to get a finger caught in another player’s bracelet for example. Taping an earring will not stop it getting ripped out and causing a permanent scar.

Umpires should check players prior to the game, make sure your players are ready. In younger age groups, coaches please help keep players safe by checking them before games.

McDonald’s Sponsorship

We are pleased to announce that McDonald’s Hutt Valley will be providing all Year 5-8 teams with a new netball (size 4 for Year 5-6 and size 5 for Year 7-8. These will be allocated at the start of the winter competition. We are grateful to McDonald’s Hutt Valley for also providing balls for us to use in the delivery of the Year 3-4 programme.

We also have Player of the Day certificates with vouchers to give to teams in Years 3-8. Certificates will be available for collection from the Registrations Office at the start of the season.

Mixed Teams

In Year 1-6 netball, boys may play without any restriction on the number of boys or which positions they play.

Year 7-8 teams may register up to 3 boys. At game time two boys may be on court at any one time (in different goal circles).  For example you can play a boy at C and GA.  You would not be able to play your two boys as GA/GS at same time or GK/GD though.

NetballSmart

NetballSmart is of particular importance for players in Year 7 and upwards and it is more than just a warm up. There are a range of resources available covering many different topics for players, coaches and officials. You can find more information about NetballSmart here including videos and printable resources: www.netballsmart.co.nz

Workshops

We recommend that all Intermediate coaches attend a free NetballSmart workshop and learn about how to integrate landing skills and other NetballSmart activities into your team’s trainings. NetballSmart not only aims to reduce and prevent injuries but also to improve on court performance of fundamental netball skills.

Warm Up Event

Warm up support will be available on the second grading week (27 June) for intermediate teams.  Join Carla from Netball Central Zone who will be assisted during the day by local coaches to do the NetballSmart warm up.  Start the season with good habits, and learn how to best utilise the movements in the warm up for not only preparation, but also to improve on court performance and skills.

Players – how to register, options for when you are short of players

Players must be registered with NHV before taking the court. If you need to make changes to your team’s list of registered players after you send your registration form then please let us know. Players may only be registered in one age group. Some schools need to register a few younger players in an older team to make their numbers work – ie you may have a couple of Year 4’s that are registered in Year 5-6, or a few Year 6’s in your Year 7-8 team. If your player numbers don’t work well to form teams please get in touch to talk about your options – we want all keen kids to be able to get out on court so please don’t tell them your teams are full as we may be able to come up with a solution!

Listing players on scorecard & purchase of stickers listing players’ names:

Usually, Year 5-6 and 7-8 players need to be listed on the back of the scorecard each week, and to save time you can order stickers and just tick the kids who are playing that day.  

For our 2020 season, we won't require names of registered players to be listed each week.  You will however need to add the names of any players filling in for your team from a lower team at your school.  If you have any new players filling in they need to be registered prior to the game by (as usual) having your school coordinator emailing us.

On arrival at the courts, for Year 5-6 and 7-8, please tick on the score card (at the office window) that you have arrived.  The second team to arrive will take the card to your court.

If your team is short of players during the season you have several options:

  • Play with fewer players (you only need 5 players for the game to go ahead)
  • Use a player from one of your school’s teams in a lower grade or age group. Note, you can use a player to play up to your team two times, but on the third time they must join your team permanently. If they play up again from your team one time they will move up straight away. You should speak with your school’s netball coordinator and go through the player’s coach to organise this.
  • Register additional players at no charge – just email us before the game and let us know who will be filling in for your team. We need their full name and DOB.
  • Have a ‘friendly’ game against the other team. This means that they win the game but everyone still gets to play. You could borrow spare players from their team or another school team to make this work. Contact us to arrange this option.
  • Please try to avoid any defaults. See ‘defaults’ for more information.

Note - You may not play players down into a lower graded team. If there are two teams in the same grade then one will be designated as the higher team.

Scoring

Intermediate teams must each supply a scorer. Scorers need to stand together for the whole game as the official score is the one on the scorecard. To learn more about how to score a game correctly, please see our website HERE.

Umpires

Teams in Year 5-6 and 7-8 need to supply their own umpire. Especially for Year 5-6 games you don’t need a lot of experience – just the ability to focus on core rules such as stepping, obstruction and contact and know which area of the court you are responsible for. If you ask around there is likely an older sibling/college student/parent who can umpire your games. Coaches are OK to umpire junior games but must not coach while umpiring. If coaches are going to umpire their games they will need a manager on the sideline to look after their team.

Updated class times for umpire development/support are TBC since the original dates were cancelled.

Umpires looking for further development are encouraged to join the Hutt Valley Netball Umpires’ Association (HVNUA). They are best placed to help you with theory and practical and cater to umpires at all levels of development. 

There are some online resources that are helpful too. Check out our website for summaries of junior netball rules and a link to the international rules as well as some tips for umpiring at our Centre.   You can also complete an online module called ‘Introduction to Netball Rules’ via the Learning and Development Portal on Netball NZ’s website. You will need to make a login, but there is no charge for it.

We do not coordinate umpires for teams, but do keep a short list of umpires who are available to umpire junior games. We don’t check these umpires and they are of mixed ability and experience so it is important that you ask questions to ensure they are competent for your grade before utilising them. Some umpires will help you out as volunteers, but many of the umpires make themselves available to earn some pocket money. They will charge different amounts based on their experience and whether they are coming to the courts especially for you or doing a few games on the same day. Qualified Senior Umpires are getting reimbursed $10 for a 40 min game in 2020, so we hope that other umpires will also be reasonable with any koha requested, or umpire for the love of the game.  If you know of anyone who would like to be on our list please get them to email us. If you would like a copy of the list please get in touch closer to the start of games.

Uniforms

Junior players may wear a long sleeved thermal top under their uniform – all thermals for your team need to be one colour. Not all players need to wear the thermal at the same time.

Teams are now able to register matching tights/leggings for Year 3-4 and 5-6 games played outdoors. Not all players need to wear tights at the same time. Intermediate players may not wear tights, but players may keep their core warm with a thermal.

The office may relax rules on extra cold game days and announce that sweatshirts/tracksuits can be worn under playing bibs.

Year 7 & 8 Muffin Break Player Development Programme (PDP)

For our short season, we will only be offering PDP to the Year 8 Age group.  School nominations are due on Friday 21 August using form 9a.

Nominated players will attend a skill assessment session on Friday 28 August.   We will let you know if your school's players will attend at 6.30pm or 7.30pm for their one hour session once nominations have closed.  This session is designed to be a learning experience for all players, and coaches will be looking to check basic netball skills - footwork (landing on the outside leg, pivoting etc), passing, body balance as well as their interest level and ability to learn from the coaches.

From here a squad will be selected to attend two development sessions and finally a mini tournament night (on Fridays 11, 18 and 25 September 6.30-8.30pm)

Due to limited space and time, we will be limiting the size of our selected squad to around 40 players.  Please ensure that you only nominate players who are available for all dates, and have the basic skills mastered so they are ready for some extension with our coaches.  Players do not need to be in your top team to be nominated, we are developing players for the future.

 Forms and dates and futher PDP information is on our website HERE

 

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