Hello Bullants families.
It is almost winter netball season time and Bullants is looking forward to yet another successful year. Your committee has been hard at work preparing for the 2019 Winter Netball Competition. Following is the information you need to join a Bullants team for the winter season at Deakin.
TIMING
South Canberra Netball Association (SCNA ) has changed some of the times this year – so read carefully. The proper season will start on 4 May, the first Saturday of Term 2. This timing is good for everyone as it means we can complete our summer commitments and focus on netball. It also means we have more time to grade our players, teams can train together and we can work on our fitness before competing.
The key dates are:
| 11 February | registrations open (see below). Please register as soon as possible and pass the word to other interested players. |
| 20 February | First training session of the year. We will focus on getting balls in players’ hands and providing information about the season, trying on uniforms etc. Times are 5.30 – 6.30 : NetSetGo, Juniors Go and Juniors 6.30 – 7.30 : Intermediates 7.30 – 8.30 : Seniors |
| 24 February | Registrations close. After this date we can’t guarantee a place in a team. |
| 27 February | Bullants grading commences (over 2 weeks) |
| 13 March | Team training commences (more grading if needed) |
| 6/7 April | SCNA Grading carnival. Compulsory for all players. Times are: Juniors (not Juniors Go) – Saturday 6 April: 10am – 1pm Intermediates – Saturday 6 April: 1pm – 4pm Seniors – Sunday 7 April: 12pm – 4pm |
| 4 May | Season commences |
The regular season will continue through to the last Saturday in August, followed by three weeks of finals.
REGISTRATION
ALL THE REGISTRATION AND COMPETITION DETAILS are on the WINTER COMPETITION page [Link].
If you are having problems with the registration process please email us at bullantsnetball@gmail.com.
We anticipate entering teams in all grades: NSG Set, Juniors, Inters and Seniors. The number of teams we enter will be depend on the number of players that register and the number of volunteer coaches and umpires. All players are required to attend training which is held on a Wednesday evening.
There has be an increase in the registration costs for the 2019 Winter Competition. This is partly an increase in the fees charged by SCNA, Netball ACT and Netball Australia, and also a slight increase in the levy we charge to cover umpire payments, new equipment etc. Should any player experience financial difficulties in paying the registration fees please contact us and we can discuss a payment plan.
VOLUNTEERS
Bullants is fully managed by volunteers, and we cannot run the club without coaches, umpires and managers, so we’d appreciate if you would consider taking on one (or more) of these roles, information about which is below.
Coaches
If you have coached previously you can expect to hear from our coach coordinator, Heather Bond, about your interest in coaching in 2019.
We are also looking for new coaches, both from our current player cohort and from our parent group.
Players – coaching is a great way to build your own netball skills as it forces you to think about how to develop netball skills in others. It is also such a thrill to see kids you’ve been coaching when they “get it”.
Parents/adults – obviously we would love for some experienced netballers to consider coaching our teams, but even if you aren’t overly familiar with the rules of netball and are interested in coaching, we would love to hear from you. One of our objectives for 2019 is to develop a coaching structure where we pair a player with good netball experience with a parent/adult who can provide structure and behaviour management for the team. This is especially important for the younger teams and younger player/coaches.
If you are interested in coaching or getting more information please contact Heather Bond at habond@hotmail.com. If you are planning on coaching this season then we’d love for you to participate in the grading of players into teams, starting on 27 February.
Umpires
Games cannot be played if we don’t have umpires to officiate. We are looking for players and parents who may be interested in joining our umpire team. Bullants will provide you with support as you commence your umpiring career, should you need it which, along with the SCNA junior umpire program, should provide enough skill development for our umpires that they feel confident to manage their allocated games. We will also assist those umpires who are interested in progressing to get their badges.
We know that umpiring can be daunting, so we will ensure that umpires are allocated to matches based on their skill level. An added incentive could be that we will pay you for every game you umpire at the following rates:
No experience – $10
Non-badged – $15
C Badge – $20
B Badge – $25
A Badge – $30
We are also looking for people who can act as mentors/coaches for our umpires. So if you are an experienced umpire you may wish to consider helping us with this role.
If you are interested and would like more information about umpiring for Bullants please contact Julie on bullantsnetball@gmail.com.
Managers
Every NetSetGo, Junior, Intermediate and Senior (school girl) team will need a manager. The role is not onerous, but it lets the coach focus on skill development and getting the players on court each week. The role of the manager is:
- Organise the team’s fruit roster (probably not required for the seniors);
- Manage the team’s rostered turn in the canteen. This should probably only happen twice in the season and it is expected that all families will assist with this, but the manager will coordinate;
- Ensuring there is someone available to score each game. This may mean a roster, or someone may volunteer to do this. It’s up to each team manager to decide that.
Once we have the team lists finalised we will be back in touch seeking volunteers, but wanted to give you time to consider whether this might be a role you could take on.
PIERCING
This week marks the end of PIERCING season, as it is 6 weeks until the SCNA grading carnival. Please be mindful of this if considering a piercing. Players are not able to take the court with piercings in and they cannot tape them. This is mandated by the Official Rules of Netball. See Section 1.4.
UNIFORM
Got uniform that you want to give away or sell? If you wish to donate it just bring it to the pavilion on Wednesday 20 February between 5-6 pm. If you wish to sell it, create a sign with your uniform details including the size and price you want for it along with your contact details. Then pin it up onto the noticeboard outside the Umpire room.
So spread the news and get your friends together. We are looking forward to seeing you all back at the courts. If you are able to help or have any queries about anything at all please email us at bullantsnetball@gmail.com.
2019 Bullants Committee
Bullants Netball Club Inc. 