2020 14s Rep team selections
After selections were held on Saturday 4th July, 2020 for additional player for the 2020 GNA 14s rep team, congratulations to Chantelle Napier. Welcome to the team.
Netball Update following Hunter Regional Meeting with Netball NSW
On Monday 22nd June, 2020 in my role as GNA Competition Coordinator I attended a virtual Hunter Regional Meeting on behalf of our Association. In attendance from Netball NSW were Melissa Achten – Community Engagement Manager and Lauren Woods – General Manager-Communities. They provided a general update regarding the organisation’s progress in putting together a Return to Play framework for community netball in NSW. At this stage the document is still with the NSW government but the Associations in attendance were advised that community netball will more than likely not resume until there is no upper limit on numbers able to participate in outdoor gatherings, as stated in any future NSW Public Health Orders. While this may ultimately delay the commencement of our winter competition further it will allow us to put together the competition with less restrictions. Unfortunately, this still may not include increased, or unlimited, spectator numbers but hopefully we will be able to structure the fixture in a shortened but similar format to our usual Saturday winter competition.
Netball NSW fee refunds were also discussed, with the final decision on refunds being made by the NNSW Board when they meet by the end of this month. I used this opportunity to liaise with other Associations within our region, and can report that everyone is moving at exactly the same speed in preparing for their return to play, due to the lack of formal instruction allowing Associations to return to play. Once this is granted and the framework has been determined we will work with clubs to create a new fixture based on the numbers of returning players. I would like to thank all clubs for their dedication to ensuring netball at Gosford this year will be conducted in a safe and appropriate manner.
At this point I am working on allocating timeslots for training based on the information summaries received from Clubs last Friday night. Clubs will be notified as this schedule is finalised and if I require any further information. We had planned to set up club meeting points for training on the surrounding grass areas but have since been advised by council this may not be possible as AFL and Touch Football may also be returning to Adcock Park once the Government restrictions ease. Areas to meet for training will require a little more planning.
I would also like to thank our members for your patience as we navigate this constantly moving situation. We ultimately want to see everyone who wants to play netball in 2020 back on the court, but we must exercise caution due to the volatile nature of this pandemic and the restrictions our sport presents by its very nature.
Please do no hesitate to contact your club or the Association via the Secretary if you have any questions. We will keep you up to date as more information comes to hand.
Regards
Fiona Downes
Competition Coordinator
2020 13s, 14s and 15s Rep Players wanted
Applications are open for the 2020 Junior Rep Teams. Players are wanted for the 13s, 14s and 15s Rep teams who will attend Junior State Titles on the October long weekend. 3rd, 4th and 5th October, 2020. 13s - Attack and Circle Defence, 14s -Defence players, 15s - Defence and Centre Court. All eligible players are welcome to apply. Please click on the link below. Applications will close on WEdnesday 1st July, 2020 at 5pm. All applications will need to be available for selections on Thursday 2nd July at 5pm at Adcock Park.
https://netball.resultsvault.com/common/pages/reg/welcome.aspx?type=6&id=42171&entityid=39173
Letter to GNA Members
Dear GNA members,
After forwarding the GNA proposed timeline and explanation email on Friday to Club Secretaries and Presidents I felt it was a good idea to follow up with a letter to our members and that we can place on our social media and website with season updates. This allows our members to also follow the process of where were we are up to with regards to the 2020 season. I am blessed to have an incredibly supportive executive that are committed to providing a safe environment for our members and their families. Thank you again for your patience and understanding as we navigate our way with the constant changes and information we receive almost daily. Your support and patience is very much appreciated.
Update for our GNA Members
Click here for GNA Proposed Executive Timeline and Proposed Training and Competition
Click here for the Letter to NNSW re refunds
Click here for the Memo from NNSW Update
Click here for the GNA Risk AssessmentClick here for the GNA Risk Assessment
Click here for the Netball Australia Community Guidelines return to play
GOSFORD NETBALL UPDATE 26 MAY 2020
Dear GNA members,
Again, I would like to thank you for your patience in relation to the current Global pandemic and the 2020 season.
Last night a zoom information session was conducted with 4 GNA executive members and 1 representative from each club. The Information session was to discuss the return to training at Adcock Park.
- How we can manage this based on the Netball Australia Risk Assessment guideline template.
- What clubs were required to do with regards to providing GNA their own risk assessments.
- How we could manage return to training in general.
- If and how clubs and coaching staff felt about returning to training, especially as we have extra construction at Adcock Park, limited parking and parents unable to attend (must wait in their car as per Govt directive).
There is a large amount of consideration being put into a return to training program. This involves additional volunteer hours from GNA, clubs and a coaching perspective for a season that may or may not go ahead depending on NETBALL NSW, Department of Health & State Government COVID rulings.
Clubs have indicated they required more time to complete their risk assessments for the return to training and we established a lot of club coaches were anxious about returning to training based on their work commitments, families and coaching more than 1 club team in some cases that equals a higher risk of exposure.
A new training start date of 15/6/20 was proposed and agreed upon. This will allow a few extra weeks to monitor our younger players returning to school and mixing with more children.
Another Presidents meeting will take place 3/6/20 after GNA’s next executive meeting to monitor the COVID situation and any changes with regards to the season.
Just confirming training for club teams will not resume for clubs until 15/6/20 at this stage. It is of the utmost importance we continue to listen to and support our clubs large and small within our GNA competition.
We strongly recommend all members download the COVID app when training does resume. Clubs will have team registers with court number, names and times should we just have 1 member test positive to COVID that has been at GNA training the process to trace and sterilise is lengthy. All players, members, coaches must isolate and be tested. The results take around 3 days and this may affect your family, business, work, school etc. This may be a coach that has 3 teams therefore 30+ members would now be isolated and affected. The more exposer the higher the risk and the stronger the procedures will need to be. Keeping in mind each member should only be at Adcock Park a minimum of 1 hour per week so clubs may then be short of coaches and your team unable to train for that reason.
Be patient, supportive, calm and considerate when speaking with your club executive. They have the well-being of all club members and are making decisions not based on 1 player or team but the club as a whole.
The GNA steps still in place :
- Clubs checking with their teams if they would like to resume training 15/6/20.
- Clubs/Teams who wish to resume training will be required to abide by the Risk Assessment guidelines put in place.
- Everyone involved in the return to training must sign a copy of the risk assessment to acknowledge they have received it and understand what is required to return to training. Clubs will keep these on file until requested by the GNA Secretary.
- The lights will be on from Monday to Friday (at a cost to GNA). Training times will be 3.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday times to be advised (no lights).
- Clubs will advise GNA if they would like to OPT IN to training and the number of teams that will be training by Saturday 6th June 5pm.
- GNA will then allocate a number of courts and court numbers to clubs who will manage their own teams, training nights/day and times.
- A full register of players, coaches etc attending training MUST be kept with what time and court number they were on. This is mandatory in case there is a COVID outbreak.
- Courts need to be allocated by clubs keeping in mind the “people per Court Rule & only allowing maximum 1 hour training sessions at a time and 1 session each week”. NO ONE a can be on the sidelines. Based on social distancing required they may only want to allocate 30 minute training sessions.
- Clubs/Teams/ Players will need to provide their own sanitiser, wipes, first aid kits and ice packs as per Risk Assessment.
- The clubhouse will be closed, however the external toilet at the side of the clubhouse will be available to players that are training & GNA will provide sanitiser for the toilet.
We would like to point out it is not compulsory to attend training and we will make this very clear to clubs to filter that information to their coaches & families. There may be many players for personal reasons unable to rejoin their team at this stage. Training will be non contact and include social distancing so coaches will need to be creative.
REFUNDS
We can only touch briefly on the refund situation at this stage. memberships are broken up in 3 portions. (NNSW, GNA, and Club levies). Netball NSW announced during their special COVID meeting last Sunday that if community netball goes ahead they would not be issuing refunds for their portion of membership fees. HOWEVER, they were looking at financial hardship policies, clauses and grants and assessing each circumstance individually. If community netball is cancelled it would be put to the Netball NSW Board of Directors to approve refunds for the Netball NSW portion of all player fees. GNA are more than happy to refund the GNA portions once we know more information on a competition start date and if a competition is possible for 2020. Ideally players can carry their fees over to the 2021 season and there are still discussions in place with Services NSW regarding the Active Kids Vouchers and how they will work for players requesting refunds. These things take time and we want to provide you the correct information as it continues to change daily.
From a club perspective, we have asked Club Executive to communicate with their members regarding club refunds if and when available (once we know more from a NSW level). They may have already purchased equipment for the 2020 season along with the additional expense of sanitiser etc. It may not be possible for a full refund and this may place some additional financial strain on our clubs. A suggestion to reduce club costs is players to provide sanitiser, tissues and hand wipes at all training sessions when and if training recommences.
After finalising this information letter this morning I have since personally spoken with Darren Simpson, Executive General Manager Community & Pathways from Netball NSW today to keep him in the loop with regards to our clubhouse renovation, my concerns on behalf of our clubs and their members with regards to refunds and to ask Netball NSW in general for support/ideas on how we can manage a season if it goes ahead. I have also asked for our membership circumstances to be looked at with regards to refunds (after our Presidents meeting last night) and for Netball NSW to keep in mind the additional obstacles/challenges we may face for the 2020 season that we were not expecting. Darren appreciated the communication and feedback. I will tonight put this in writing to Netball NSW for their record on why we believe our members should be refunded if they choose not to participate in the 2020 season.
COMPETITION
We are unable to issue any information at this stage with regards to a competition start date until after our next Executive meeting on Monday 1st June 2020 and only if at the meeting we have received any further updates from Netball NSW regarding the COVID restrictions. We understand some members are asking questions but at this stage it is out of our control and to issue any information would not be accurate and we would be guessing.
We thank you all for your patience and support during this challenging time and will continue to keep you updated as circumstances change.
Kind regards,
Belinda Beresford
President
Gosford Netball Association
Gosford Netball Training Update
20 May, 2020
Dear GNA members,
Firstly, we would like to thank you for your patience in relation to the current COVID situation and the 2020 season.
The GNA Executive have a very lengthy discussion at our executive meeting last night in regards to the return to training at Adcock Park and how we can manage this based on the Netball Australia Risk Assessment guideline template.
After discussing the template In point form the Executive completed the Resumption of Community Netball Risk Assessment Guidance Template provide by Netball Australia. (The GNA findings will be provided to your Club Secretary by Saturday.)
We have asked that your club executive read through the risk assessment document thoroughly. At this stage as we are unable to hold a council meeting with all the club representatives so we have invited one club delegate to attend a zoom information session next Monday night.
The GNA steps now in place:
- Clubs to check with their teams if they would like to resume training.
- Clubs/Teams who wish to resume training will be required to abide by the Risk Assessment guidelines put in place.
- Everyone involved in the return to training must sign a copy of the risk assessment to acknowledge they have received it and understand what is required to return to training. Clubs will keep these on file until requested by the GNA Secretary.
- The lights will be on from Monday to Friday (at a cost to GNA). Training times will be 3.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday times to be advised (no lights).
- Clubs will advise GNA if they would like to OPT IN to training and the number of teams that will be training by Friday 29th May 5pm.
- GNA will then allocate a number of courts and court numbers to clubs who will manage their own teams, training nights/day and times.
- A full register of players, coaches etc attending training MUST be kept with what time and court number they were on. This is mandatory in case there is a COVID outbreak.
- Courts need to be allocated by clubs keeping in mind the “10 people per Court Rule & only allowing max 1 hour training sessions at a time and 1 session each week”. NO ONE a can be on the sidelines. Therefore if a team has 10 players and 2 coaches clubs will need to be mindful they may require 2 courts. Based on social distancing required they may only want to allocate 30 minute training sessions.
- Clubs/Teams will need to provide their own sanitiser, wipes, first aid kits and ice packs as per Risk Assessment.
- The clubhouse will be closed, however the external toilet at the side of the clubhouse will be available to players that are training & GNA will provide sanitiser for the toilet.
We would like to point out it is not compulsory to attend training and we will make this very clear to clubs to filter that information to their coaches. There may be players for personal reasons unable to rejoin their team at this stage. Clubs may merge 2 or 3 teams together to make up the number of 10. Training will be non contact and include social distancing so coaches will need to be creative.
We propose a starting date for training would be pushed back until Monday 1st June, 2020 to allow clubs additional time to complete their own risk assessments and allocate training times to their teams one GNA provide the court numbers and amount of courts available.
We are unable to issue any information at this stage with regards to refunds or a competition start date until after our next Executive meeting Monday 1st June 2020 and only if at the meeting we have received any further updates from Netball NSW regarding the COVID restrictions. We understand some members are asking questions but this stage it is out of our control and to issue any information would not be accurate and we would be guessing.
Clubs have been asked if they have questions relating to the “return to training risk assessment” before our zoom information session can you please submit them by Sunday 24th May, 2020 6pm and will do our best to address all concern at the Zoom meeting on Monday night.
We thank you all for your patience and support during this challenging time.
Kind regards,
Belinda Beresford
President
Gosford Netball Association
Application for Central Coast Heart - Circle Defence Player
Central Coast Heart looking for Circle Defence player for Metro League.
Click here for the Application. Closes on 20th May, 2020.
GNA Statement Update 18 May 2020
To all members,
I am aware Friday NSW Public Health eased the Government restrictions on the (COVID-19 gathering and movement) 2020 order #2 to allow for gatherings of up to 10 people. This will enable netball training to re-commence, however still without body contact drills only. Importantly the restrictions applied to netball allows for a MAXIMUM of 10 on a court at any one time. This includes Players, Coaches, Parents, Spectators, Umpires etc. The 10 person per court limit CANNOT BE EXCEEDED at any time.
Finally, late Friday Netball NSW released comprehensive documents and infographics regarding the return to netball. This also included documents from Netball Australia with regards to the risk assessment involved for all Associations, Clubs, Members and Venue’s. NSW & Gosford Netball Association currently sit at Level B-Stage 1 on the Venue Guidelines issued by Netball Australia.
The Gosford Netball Association Executive have been in constant contact and will be holding a special Executive meeting this Wednesday night to discuss the framework “return to training” and what this will look like for our Gosford Netball Members. Training nights and our netball season will be quite different to what we have known in the past. Training is not permitted to resume until further notice however we are looking at Adcock Park being available for netball training from Monday 25th May 2020 and will confirm this after consultation with Central Coast Council and club executives. Training information with then be shared via your registered club.
We have not yet announced a start date for a 2020 competition unlike other sporting codes. As we hold all games at 1 venue and require permission to have gathering of 600 plus just to cover the players, coaches and umpires required during each time slot. This is without any parents or guests attending the games. We also have the added struggles of a new clubhouse being constructed and parking restrictions. We are working closely with Netball NSW and Central Coast Council are continuing to follow their guidelines and framework but also have the “2020 competition” on the agenda Wednesday night for discussion.
Thank you for your patience and I would sincerely like to thank you for your understanding. As always, our number 1 priority is the health and safety of all our GNA Members and their Families.
Kind regards
Belinda Beresford
President, Gosford Netball Association
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Status Update from Netball NSW
Click here to read the new Status Update from Netball NSWStatus Update from Netball NSW