More than 1,000 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal netballers from across NSW will converge on Charlestown Netball Courts this weekend for the Koori Netball Tournament.
This year’s tournament will feature more than 90 teams competing across six divisions, including women’s and mixed for both adults and juniors.
The tournament, hosted by Charlestown Netball Association with the support of the NSW Office of Sport and Netball NSW, provides an opportunity for Aboriginal netballers to showcase their talent in a competitive and inclusive environment in an effort to enhance reconciliation.
Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:
“For more than 20 years the Koori Netball Tournament has been enhancing reconciliation through sport.
“This weekend’s tournament will feature high quality netball played in a fun and inclusive environment.
“Most importantly, the tournament highlights how sport can bring people together in a healthy, positive way.”
Charlestown Netball Association President Di Pascoe said:
“We started the Koori Netball Tournament 23 years ago and we love that it’s still going strong, that it is still bringing people together for two days of fun.
“Hosting the Koori Netball Tournament is an annual highlight for us at Charlestown Netball as it is such a great event.
“There were nine teams that played in the first Koori Netball Tournament. This year, we we have 95 teams from across NSW and that is very exciting for the community.
“We love seeing the community come back each year, seeing people reconnect with one another and with more than two decades of the Koori Netball Tournament, we have seen multiple generations come back to play and to support each other – it is an amazing community event.”
Netball NSW Executive General Manager – Communities & Pathways, Tim Fava said:
“We are all very excited for this year’s Koori Netball Tournament, a staple of the NSW Netball Calendar, showcasing some amazing talent.
“Charlestown has done a magnificent job of making this tournament one of the highlights on the netball calendar and we are delighted to play a role in supporting it, alongside the NSW Government.
“Netball and sport in general have the power to build greater connection, and to see the Koori Tournament thrive year on year is a testament to what our First Nations peoples bring to the game.”
