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Seniors play on Friday nights and juniors play on Saturday mornings.
Players have flocked back to the Rodney Netball Centre this season after a disappointing season last year. Vice-president Lynette Gubb says there are 26 senior teams, including seven college teams, as well as 49 junior teams.
Last year, only nine teams entered and just five matches were able to be played due to Covid-19 disruptions.
Otamatea-ex has returned to the competition after a hiatus, while Tauhoa School has entered two teams after some years without entering.
The Mangawhai Netball Club has entered an incredible 15 teams across both the seniors and juniors.
“The disruptions haven’t dampened enthusiasm for netball. It was great to see the looks on the juniors’ faces when they were able to return to the courts,” Gubb says.
She says a full committee has stepped up this season, with Kelly Ayres as president, and Gubb and Karen Flat as vice-presidents.
The season will consist of 12 to 14 rounds and will likely last until mid-August, although Gubb has allowed until September in case of any disruptions.
“You never know anymore,” she says.
Meanwhile, Gubb says that the continued deterioration of the Wellsford courts has become a major problem, with some courts removed from play entirely. The season will include an extra round to allow all matches to be played.
“We strongly encourage the whole community to call up Auckland Council and complain about the state of the courts,” she says.
Gubb says she is disappointed that Council has not “cracked on” with its master plan for Centennial Park, which was written in December last year.
The courts have suffered from inadequate drainage with water underneath causing cracks and bulges in the court surface.
The Rodney Netball Centre had previously paid more than $100,000 to resurface the courts.
