Tre’s netball dream denied
Administrators around the country are urged to be ‘more brave’ as boys’ interest in the sport rises. Alex Loo reports.
‘‘The onus goes back to these regions being a bit braver and a little more innovative. Their role is to provide sport for [their] community. It’s about offering equal opportunity.’’
NZ Men’s and Mixed Netball Association President David Pala’amo
Tre Ratana-sciascia loves netball.
The 13-year-old began playing when he was 5, mainly in defence, but now he’s not allowed on any of the teams at Feilding High School.
Netball Manawatu¯ ’s competition rules state that clubs and secondary schools can only enter teams made up of the same gender.
The shy teenager said it ‘‘kinda sucks’’ to no longer be able to play for his school team.
‘‘I’ve grown up around the sport. I love playing it.’’
Netball New Zealand’s junior netball policy says boys and girls are allowed to play together until they turn 12, but after that can only play with girls at the regional body’s discretion.
The policy encouraged netball centres to create competitions that boys could take part in, but rules and policies about male participation vary throughout New Zealand, meaning there is no guarantee every teenage boy wanting to play netball will be able to.
Tre still plays indoor netball and basketball and has stayed involved through umpiring.
However, he said said joining his school team would mean ‘‘so much’’ to him.
Despite its current rules, Netball Manawatu¯ general manager Chris Gunn said it would strongly consider granting dispensation for male players.
He said they hadn’t received a request to allow a male to play in club and school competitions.
Outside of school and club netball during winter, Netball Manawatu¯ ran two leagues outside of the competitive winter season that were open to mixed teams, he said.
New Zealand Men’s and Mixed Netball Association president David Pala’amo said regional netball centres should be providing mixed competitions so all boys can continue in netball beyond intermediate age.
He said the national body’s laws meant ‘‘the onus goes back to these regions being a bit braver and a little more innovative.
‘‘Their role is to provide sport for [their] community. It’s about offering equal opportunity.’’
After the national men’s team played in a televised match against the Silver Ferns on the eve of their famous World Cup victory last month, Pala’amo said people were starting to see that men could play ‘‘constructive and skilful netball’’ and weren’t bullies on the court.
Youth development manager and New Zealand secondary schools coach Charissa Barham said the organisation was exploring ways to get men and boys more involved in netball.
She said many of the larger netball centres did provide mixed competitions.
‘‘Change has been in the air.’’ Bringing in ‘‘hard and fast rules’’ that say centres needed to provide competitions for male players would be too hardline, Barham believes.
There are 83 centres around the country and Barham said the size and resources of each could vary drastically.
Netball Manawatu¯ game development officer Lathania Picking said men and boys were involved in all facets of netball, from playing socially to officiating, but there was not yet a winter competition for them.
‘‘We’ve always had men in netball . . .
‘‘There’s got to be a space for them.’’
Picking said there was ‘‘real growth’’ in men wanting to play and Netball Manawatu¯ were organising a high school boys’ tournament in September to gauge interest in the game at secondary school level.
Picking said giving boys the opportunity to try netball meant working with other sporting codes, so game days and trainings didn’t clash and boys didn’t feel as though they had to choose.
Last week, Manawatu¯ schools put together a boys team to play an intermediate girls team in a one-off game, which Tre was part of.
One of the game’s organisers, Feilding Intermediate School principal Diane Crate, said people needed to change their mindset about having boys on the netball court.
‘‘I just don’t think there’s a place any more for exclusion rules based on gender.’’
She said there were still some boys who ‘‘get a bit of flak’’ for choosing to play netball instead of other sports, making the need to create chances for them in the sport even greater.
Crate thought having boys take to the netball court added to the game, ‘‘just like girls add to rugby’’.
Feilding Intermediate netballer Josi Ewens thought it was ‘‘quite unfair’’ boys were expected to give the sport up once they reached high school. There were boys on her team.
She said the girls, who were often more experienced players, liked to help the boys with their technique, and also kept them composed during the games.
‘‘They’re really good players and they help out a lot . . . Boys do excel at netball.’’
In July, the Sunday Star-times reported on how a young female rugby league prodigy who dreamed of playing professionally was barred from playing the game because of fears she will be injured.