As competition netball returns in full across Queensland, one Brisbane based club is driving an innovative idea to deliver as many games as possible in this unprecedented season.
With the delay to the start of the traditional winter netball season caused by COVID-19, Associations and Clubs have been working tirelessly to implement revised competition formats for their members – including the Sunnybank Saints.
Faced with a significantly shortened season, the Saints Committee thought outside the box for a solution that would not only provide additional games for their players, but an opportunity for those games to be played at the home of netball in Queensland.
The Saints will be hosting two half day, intra-club carnivals across consecutive weekends this month, to be played at Nissan Arena.
Saints President Wendy Ryder said the hard work involved in making the carnivals a reality will all be worthwhile when they see the players on court.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for all our Saints teams to compete in a friendly, carnival style competition,” Ryder said.
“Importantly, both events will also be free, with the Club to cover the cost of court hire so our players and their families can just concentrate on enjoying themselves.”
“We are looking forward to seeing the smiles of our amazing players and flooding Nissan Arena with our Blue and Yellow Army.”
Netball Queensland’s General Manager of Venues, Events, Competitions and Commercial, Ben Mannion, said the carnivals would be of great benefit to both the Saints and Nissan Arena.
“I applaud the Saints for challenging the thinking of how a season is traditionally run to find an innovative way to provide more value for their members,” Mannion said.
“In such an unprecedented year it’s initiatives like this that will continue to fuel the passion for netball that we know exists both in the Sunnybank Community and right across Queensland.”
“From a Nissan Arena perspective, we are also thrilled to host these carnivals as they will provide a valuable trial run for hosting large crowds in a safe and compliant manner with the Queensland Firebirds’ season, and the HART Sapphire Series, just around the corner.”
More information about the carnivals can be found on the Saints website at https://www.sunnybanksaintsnetball.com/
