Each year Netball Queensland welcomes dozens of associations from across the state to compete at the Nissan State Age Championships – some who have attended for over a decade, others who are participating for the very first time.
Curtis Coast Netball Association, located half-an-hour from Gladstone in Central Queensland, is the latest to join the competition, making its maiden appearance after becoming Netball Queensland affiliated just last year.
After 21 years of operations, Curtis Coast has developed a thriving community, earning them the right to become affiliated and hence to retain talented youth players and offer them the benefits that come with state-wide Netball Queensland pathways.
The association has experienced significant growth in recent times and has had to expand its facilities to meet the rising demand.
“We were getting to the point where we were turning people away because we couldn't fit them in our court system,” said Lara Bourne, President of the Curtis Coast Netball Association.
“We’re really lucky now – we’ve had heaps of grants we’ve had access to. We’ve just had two new courts built last year and we're having lighting put over it this year”.
Curtis Coast’s players have experience competing at the Pam Moore Netball Carnival in Gladstone and against sides such as Gladstone, Biloela, and Monto, but the Nissan State Age Championships represents a new challenge that they have risen to enthusiastically.
“This is definitely the largest competition we've ever been involved in. We’re travelled before. That’s not a shock to us. But we usually do two-day carnivals and not a four-day carnival,” Mrs. Bourne said.
“The kids have had such a great experience and that they have learnt so much. The girls have just got so much out of this. Win or lose, they are just having the time of their lives”.
Competing against teams from elsewhere in the state that are more accustomed to competing at this level has taught the players valuable lessons and given them fuel to continue their growth.
“Just to actually be around so much talent and playing really, really tough competition and really, really good players give them remarkable improvement.” said Mrs. Bourne.
Several players were unable to compete for Curtis Coast following the rescheduling of State Age this year, and their president is already looking forward to bringing complete teams next time.
“Our club’s very, very strong in the younger years. Now we’re able to retain those players for the 14s and 15s. Give us a couple of years of retaining players and we will just get stronger and stronger, “she said.
“We’re here with three teams this year and we've already decided that next year we're going to come away with five teams because we can do the 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s and 16s."
