Among the 2000 players, 198 officials and 55 associations taking part at the courts of Western Districts Netball Association (WDNA) from Saturday to Tuesday are a record 13 boys teams, almost double that of last year, and 185 girls teams – 14 more than in 2023.
Joining them at the event – part of WDNA’s 50th anniversary celebrations - will be Grasshoppers Netball Club from Fiji and a First Nations Academy of Excellence team as invitational entries.
Inspired by last year’s success at the Junior State Age in Townsville, Tully and Bowen will be competing in a senior carnival for the first time since 2014 and 2016 respectively.
Kingaroy Netball Association is also taking part in a Senior State Age for the first time since 2017, with two girls teams and one boys team making the trip from the South Burnett Region.
In total there will be 1535 matches over the four days, providing a celebration of community netball just a week out from the start of the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season.
The event will also be memorable for 13-year-old Cairns’ umpire Ella Rogers, who is set to make history as the youngest B Badge umpire in the state, while Maranoa’s Roree Winkel could potentially be tested for their C Badge.
Participants and associations can also get started on a sustainable challenge at Senior State Age with the launch of the Container Cup, an initiative between NQ and partner Containers for Change where associations and clubs collect 10-cent containers throughout the season, and the top three performers earn a collective share of $3,000 in HART Sport vouchers.
NQ also acknowledges the support of partners University of Queensland, Valour, Nissan, HART Sport, Mizuno and Suncorp in delivering the 2024 Senior State Age.
For more information on Senior State Age head to event page on the NQ website here.
