New U23 National Age Group Tournament in Wellington

New U23 National Age Group Tournament to take place in Wellington

10/5/2013 - Netball New Zealand is delighted to announce the inaugural U23 National Age Group Tournament will take place in Wellington at the ASB Sports Centre from 15 – 18 July.

It’s the first time a national competition for U23’s has been organised and its emergence is intended to fill the gap following the disestablishment of the NZ Age Group Under 21 Championships.

Netball New Zealand’s objective in running an U23 programme is to bridge the gap between club, age group and secondary school level and to provide a pathway for players and coaches as well as umpires and other officials towards the ANZ Championship.

The 19-23 age group was identified as an area with a high drop-off of player numbers, resulting in the U23 competition being prioritised by Netball New Zealand and the five new Netball Zones as a key competition in the calendar year.

Netball New Zealand Operations Director Kate Agnew says the main reason to introduce a new U23 Tournament is to bridge the gap between club, age group and secondary school level.

“History has shown that often, players take a break from netball during this time due to study or travel and when returning to netball at age 21 or 22, have missed the window of opportunity to compete at the U21 level and are not as prepared for the step up to the ANZ Championship.”

The new U23 competition is primarily given over to the five new Zones to select their own representative players. The Zones determine their own trials, selections and development squad processes for the selection of their teams.

The U23 National Age Group Tournament will be played in a round robin format followed by semi-finals and the Grand Final, alongside the U19 National Age Group Tournament in the same week.

NNZ High Performance selectors will also be keeping a close eye on proceedings.

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