Pearls hunt for players

NETBALL EXTENDS SEARCH OUTSIDE FIJI

NETBALL Fiji has expanded its search for eligible players in elite competitions in Australia, New Zealand and the UK to represent the Fiji Pearls at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.

Players playing in New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership and national league, the Suncorp Super

Netball league and state teams in Australia, and the UK Netball Super League will need to send in an expression of interest (EOI) to play for the Pearls.

There will be a Netball World Cup selection training camp in Suva from January 21-29 which invited players will need to attend at their own cost.

Netball Fiji CEO Vivian Koster said they were offering an opportunity to players outside Fiji to come forward.

“Our current squad remains,” she said. “We are simply offering the opportunity to other players to put their names forward.

“We have already received interest from those overseas and are being transparent by opening it up to others.

“You will notice that we have been particular about the level of competition a player needs to be engaged in and that, once we have reviewed the EOIs, we will invite successful candidates to join the squad.

“This will allow Netball Fiji to have a broader player base for selection.

“However, there is no guarantee of making the world cup team; everyone in the squad has to fight for a position.”

The due date for EOIs is January 5.

With the Netball World Cup drawing closer, the team management understands that every game will be crucial for the Pearls as the players will need as much game time and exposure as possible leading up to the Netball World Cup.

The Netball World Cup will be held from July 28 to August 6, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Pearls are now ranked 17th after dropping two places on the world rankings.