Youth

Lois Muir

LOIS MUIR, DCNZM, OBE

Quite simply, Lois is an inspiration for women in sport, not only netball, with which she is synonymous.

Outstanding player and coach, Lois Muir has been at the forefront of netball's rise to its present high profile within New Zealand. She was vice-captain of the New Zealand team when netball began to establish itself as a regular international sport, but it was her achievements as a Selector and National Coach that made Lois Muir one of the few New Zealand sporting figures whose first name alone is enough to identify her.

Lois played for Otago at both netball and basketball from 1950 until 1964, played basketball for New Zealand from 1952 until 1962, and represented New Zealand at netball from 1960 to 1964, when international play was rare. She was considered the outstanding player in the New Zealand team that lost the first world title final in 1963 by one goal.

Lois Muir coached the Silver Ferns for 15 years until 1988, a period in which they won two world netball championships, in 1979 & 1987. Still sought for coaching positions more than a decade after she had "retired", Lois continued as a national selector and has served on several sporting bodies, including Netball New Zealand, the Hillary Commission, the Sports Foundation, the Masters Games and the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (to which she was inducted in 1993).

Lois is currently Netball New Zealand president.

Junior Netball

Junior Netball
For young beginners in netball, there's usually a choice of two starting points:
· a school team
· a club team

This will depend on where you live and your age, but in most cases playing for a school team is the first choice.

The Netball New Zealand Junior Netball Policy recommends special rules and equipment to help young players.

The programmes, divided into three age groups, have been designed for players between 5 and 12 years old, to help players gain confidence and build up netball skills.

FUN FERNS – 5-7 years
· For children keen to get into netball as young as possible - have fun learning the basics of the game.
· Uses smaller ball designed especially for little hands.
· Uses hoops rather than goalposts.
· Numbers instead of positions on bibs.
· Learn how to turn and pass down the court towards the team’s goal.
· Straight line play.
· Understand about space on the netball court.
· Movement skills – running, jumping, landing.

FUTURE FERNS – 8-10 years
· More focus on movement and passing skills such as dodging, defending and passing into space.
· Develop a wider range of skills and knowledge about the game.
· Special equipment and rules used.
· Size 4 balls – not full size yet.
· Positional bibs worn i.e. WA, C, GS.
· Goalposts used - 2.6 metres.
· Players get to play all seven positions i.e. up to four positions in each game.

YEARS 7 & 8 – 11-12 years
· Aimed at more experienced, older players.
· Concentrates more on skill-development work aimed at specific positions.
· Full height goal post used - 3.05 metres.
· Players start to specialise in one or two positions or in a certain area of the court i.e. shooting, defending, circle.
· Competitions follow the rules of the game.

SECONDARY SCHOOL NETBALL
· Netball in New Zealand has more secondary school players than any other sport.
· The competitions at this level are exciting and challenging.
· Many schools play in inter-school competitions; others comepte in local club competitions.
· Players can compete in regional and national tournaments.
· A New Zealand Secondary Schools team is selected each year and competes against international teams. The current team won the 2008 International Schoolgirls title in Adelaide.
· Coaching becomes more intense at this level with committed training sessions and fitness requirements.

AGE GROUP NETBALL
Promising netballers in secondary school competitions are selected to try out for age group teams competing in inter-centre and regional competitions. Netball New Zealand holdfs an annual Age Group Championship for under-19 and under-21 players.

· Under-21
· Under-19
· Under-17
· Under-15 (Years 7 and 8)

CLUB NETBALL
Club netball can be played at any age, but most players move onto a club once they leave high school. There may be one or more clubs to choose from in an area. The choice is up to the individual but there is often a club linked to a player’s former school or where their friends play. The local Netball Centre is the best place to start for more details.

Youth

Youth, kids, children, young people - Netball is for you, and this is the page where you can find out all about it!

NETBALL FAQs

What's the height of a goalpost?

Netball - 3 metres or 10 feet
Kiwi Netball (Future Ferns) - 2.6 metres or 8 foot 4 inches

How many people play netball in New Zealand?

In 2008 there were more than 138,000 registered players, including social outdoor netball participants, playing for over 1000 clubs in 92 Centres nationwide.
Netball is the largest participation sport in New Zealand Secondary Schools (based on 2005 figures) and is still growing!

How is netball organised in New Zealand?

Netball New Zealand is the governing body of 12 regional entities:
Netball North, Auckland/Waitakere, Counties Manukau, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Eastern Netball, Western Netball, Wellington, Tasman, Canterbury, Otago & Southland. Each of these regions has a number of centres which organise games, competitions and series at a local level.

What colour should the lines on the court be?

Court markings should preferably be white or yellow.

How much space is needed around a netball court?

The minimum space between the goal line and any obstruction eg wall, seats, signage etc shall be:
For recreational netball - 1.2 metres
For national netball - 2 metres
For international matches - 3 metres

How much space is needed in the roof for an indoor court?

The minimum clear ceiling height for indoor courts is 8 metres from the floor to the ceiling.

What do the Silver Ferns do together?

The Silver Ferns team is made up of 12 players who all live and work in different parts of New Zealand. For this reason, the Silver Ferns only really share activities when they are preparing for a Netball Series.

Are the Silver Ferns friends?

All the Silver Ferns think very highly of each other and they all bring different personalities to the team! They respect one another's qualities, and get along well They are all friends!

What rules and standards do the Silver Ferns have to keep?

While the team is on tour they keep to the rules that the coach and manager set. Players also have to maintain a very high standard of fitness and they are fitness tested to make sure they will reach peak performance.

Do the Silver Ferns have to go on a diet?

In Netball, like so many other sports, it's not about going on a diet, but about sticking to eating food that is best for your body, and especially food that will let you play to the best of your ability. To do this you need all the essential elements that various foods offer.

Who are the major sponsors of the Silver Ferns?

The major sponsor of the Silver Ferns is New World. TVNZ also play a big part in promoting the Silver Ferns and netball in New Zealand.

Please describe the Silver Ferns' playing uniform.

The Silver Ferns playing uniform is a short black, sleeveless dress made by adidas apparel. The names of two of the Silver Ferns' sponsors "New World" and "adidas", as well as the Silver Ferns' logo, are printed on the front of the playing dress.
If you want to see some more pictures of the Ferns, view player profiles and check their latest results, please visit the Silver Ferns.

Do the Silver Ferns have to go on a diet?

In Netball, as in many other sports, it's not about going on a diet, but about sticking to eating food that is best for your body, and especially food that will make you play to the best of your ability. To do this you need all the essential elements that various foods offer.

Do the Silver Ferns also have jobs?

The Silver Ferns are very busy women, all play in the semi-professional ANZ Championship, many have jobs, and/or are studying for degrees and diplomas.