Netball Australia has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 National Netball Championships due to the national coronavirus situation.
The decision was made based on the relevant health advice, with the safety of all participants and the wider community the priority.
The event was due to be held at Hobart Netball and Sports Centre from 4-11 July.
Netball Australia Executive General Manager Performance, Stacey West, said it was a difficult but necessary decision to cancel the event.
“This is certainly not the position we hoped to be in, and we can only imagine the disappointment and frustration of our players, coaches and umpires,” West said.
“I’d like to thank Netball Tasmania, who have worked so hard to deliver an exceptional event experience, only to have the event cancelled for the second consecutive year.”
“Unfortunately, the unpredictability and instability of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t going away and our priority is always the safety of our participants.”
Margaret Hamley, Netball NSW General Manager of Performance & Pathways, said:
"Our NSW State Team athletes have shown a maturity and strength beyond their years in facing the obstacles that COVID restrictions have placed on them in the past week.
"For many of these athletes, this is the second year in a row they have not had the opportunity to compete at Nationals.
"Since preparation began in March athletes and coaches travelled to training from different regions of NSW such as Newcastle in the north and Jervis Bay and Wagga Wagga in the south.
"The teams grew with performance analysis and sports psychology sessions and week-by-week their team bond and Waratah pride developed.
"Coaches challenged their athletes to take their game to another level and it was exciting to watch these teams become Nationals ready and confident to take on the best from around the country."
The National Netball Championships provide emerging talent from across the country the opportunity to represent their respective state or territory and compete for the championship title in 17/U and 19/U age groups.
Netball Australia, in partnership with Member Organisations, will now explore options and confirm the approach to enable the ongoing talent development and identification process for our 2021 pathway program participants.
