Teamwork between the public and private sectors has led to hundreds of primary school children aiming high in an all-Island netball tournament.
The Sure-sponsored Primary Schools’ Netball Festivals concluded on Tuesday when The Buchan School took the main trophy, beating off stiff competition from second placed Laxey Primary in a round robin tournament held at St Ninian’s Lower School.
The festivals, run in partnership with the Manx Netball Association, form part of the Sure Sports Primary Schools’ Programme, which is run by the Department of Education and Children’s Sports Development Unit and generously supported by the telecoms firm.
The programme allows thousands of pupils to participate – many for the first time – in six sports, opening the way for them to continue to play the sports out of school via the many junior clubs and schemes on offer.
The hard work for the netball players began in January when 27 primaries began training for their respective regional festivals. Schools were eligible to enter provided they’d already run netball sessions for six weeks. An impressive 48 squads were entered, resulting in 480 children participating.
The top two teams from each region progressed through to this week’s final. These schools were Laxey, Ballaugh, St John’s, Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, Arbory, The Buchan, Ballacottier and Cronk-y-Berry.
The Buchan was presented with the National Netball Trophy by Sarah Jarvis, Marketing and PR Manager for Sure, who said:
‘As ever, I was blown away by the quality of play, the sportsmanship of the teams and the energy of all who took part. The primary sports programme encapsulates so much that Sure is proud to support: it’s island-wide, it’s inclusive, it gets kids out playing sport and, above all, it’s loads of fun.’
Running alongside the national final was a fun festival for teams that didn’t make it through. No results were recorded but prizes were given out for the best fancy dress (won by another Ballacottier team) and the best acceptance walk (Rushen).
Marie Skillicorn, Isle of Man Netball Development Officer, said:
‘Once again, the Manx Netball Association is delighted with the standard of netballers coming out of the primary schools’ festivals. The level of ability is getting closer and this was demonstrated in the tight scorelines. Players and coaches alike put in so much effort and the enthusiasm for netball is growing stronger.
‘We have seen a high increase in juniors playing netball over the past 12 months and we are changing our junior leagues next year to accommodate this.
‘It is a pleasure to be involved in these festivals and I particularly enjoy the non-competitive element attached to the fun festival.’
To learn more about community netball, contact Marie on +44 1624 456634 or mnadevelopment@gmail.com
