A BIG year of growth for the Portland Netball Association was capped off with some hard-fought grand finals on Monday to bring an end to the season.

There has been plenty happening at the Portland Netball Association across 2022 with new representative opportunities and local competitions providing pathways for those new to the sport or looking for further development.

This year they participated in their third year of Association Championships as well as developing a string of local competitions including walking netball and mixed netball which has bought more players into the fold.

“For the year we had 540 registrations all up which is just so great,” association president Jody Duckworth said.

“To think numbers were declining just last year, we’ve seen a huge increase in numbers and so many different people coming into the Association too or coming back.

“We’ve worked to become a bit more diverse in what we’re offering with walking and mixed competitions and I think it’s paying off.”

The Association is looking to build on their current representative opportunities, with their training for the Association Championships kicking off earlier than previous years.

“We’re hoping to start some squad training in January for Association Championships and then they can have some playing time together before teams are officially picked,” Duckworth said.

“For the past few years we’ve had two great seasons but we would love to be able to lift in our performances and really be leaders in those competitions if we can.

“The final trials will be held in March but we’re ready to take it to that next level.”

Duckworth said the committee has been working to get the Association moving after a tough few years with declining numbers and COVID presented setbacks.

“The focus has really been putting life back into our Association and our competitions,” he said.

“We’re really pushing to give people good opportunities in netball whether it be entry level or representative or if it’s coaches, umpires or players.”

Grand final results

PORTLAND Netball Association’s 2022 twilight netball season finished up on Monday night with its grand finals capping off a very successful season.  

The junior division saw Red win in a nail-biter over Green, coming away victorious 13-12.

In the walking division, it was Pacemakers who proved too good for Plus GST, winning 11-4.

The mixed division saw Mixed Muppets earn a comfortable win over The Undecided 25-12.

In the seniors, it was 2Old2Slow2Good who were able to edge out Mighty Meres 1 for the title, winning 31-26.

The association would like to thank and congratulate all who participated, and also to those who turned up to cheer on their friends and family.

The competition will return with its summer 2023 season, with registrations open for ahead of a February 6 start date.