ACC & Netball NZ Join Forces to Reduce Risk of Injury

ACC and Netball NZ join forces

ACC and Netball New Zealand (NNZ) are joining forces to teach over 100,000 players a year how to improve their game and reduce the risk of serious injury.

Each year, there are around 30,000 Netball injuries costing ACC $27 million. As the number 1 female participation sport in New Zealand 96% of those injuries are accounted for by females. Through a new targeted NetballSmart campaign that teaches warm-up and preparation techniques ACC and NNZ are confident the number of injuries will be dramatically reduced. This could be by as much as 50% in the case of serious knee injuries.

Acting ACC Sports Injury Prevention Manager John Lammas said the $2.4 million investment (over 3 years) will enable NNZ to work directly with 100,000 players and more than 7000 coaches each year.

“We are excited to be working with NNZ to upskill Netball players of all ages and abilities, the best techniques to improve their game and reduce their chances of getting injured,” Lammas said.

• To prepare girls for the demands of the game NNZ will recruit and train specialist facilitators to deliver the NetballSmart warm-up directly to 19,500 girls in intermediate schools. In addition to this, mass warm ups will be led by specialist facilitators at 7 Netball Centres nationwide prior to games, reaching a further 25,000 players in the intermediate school age group.
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• Through coach education workshops NNZ will reach a further 6,350 coaches and subsequently 63,500 female players across all age groups per year.
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NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie says the sport is delighted to be partnering with ACC to deliver such an important programme and message.

“We believe based on the evidence available that by teaching the right warm-up techniques we can reduce serious knee injuries by up to 50 per cent. This will give girls the tools they need to stay injury free so they can enjoy life long participation in Netball and physical activity,” Wyllie said.

For ACC the partnership with NNZ is one of a number of ways the organisation is working to reduce injuries in sport. It has also invested in partnerships with NZ Football, New Zealand Rugby League, Touch NZ and New Zealand Rugby.

“New Zealand is a sporting nation and we want that to continue; we want kiwis to play the sports they love without experiencing the barrier of injury,” Lammas said.

ENDS.

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