Charlestown Netball Association

I want to play netball - how do I join??

 It's great that you want to play netball! Charlestown Netball Association currently has four affiliate clubs which players can register through. The clubs will take players from all suburbs - you don't have to live in a specific area to sign up with a particular club. You can register as a NetSetGO player (for players turning 6-9 this year), a Junior player (for players turning 10-17 this year) or a Senior player (for players turning 18 or older this year). Feel free to contact any of these clubs - they are all super friendly!

Players are encouraged to contact clubs sooner rather than later, particularly if you are a new player or are looking to join a team. Ideally we want all players registered by the end of February to give the clubs time to finalise teams. The competition grading process (which looks at all teams across all clubs) happens in early March, giving us just enough time to put together the fixtures/draw for the season. (Note: some clubs will want players to register by mid-February in order to do club grading before finalising their teams.)

Have a team already and want to register without going through a club?  We also accept independent teams who would prefer to register directly with the Association. Independent teams must have at least 7 players to register (preferably 8 players or more). Independent teams are required to manage themselves (including training, sourcing their own uniforms, etc), are solely responsible for the supply of a suitable umpire for each round of play during the season (the umpire must be competent to umpire their grade), and need to provide their own bibs & balls for games.  Independent teams are responsible for sourcing their own players and may not borrow players from affiliated clubs. CNA will answer any questions you have during the season and provide support where we can, but CNA is not responsible for supplying a coach, team manager, players, or umpire for independent teams (CNA can assist with the search for an umpire if requested).

If you would like to register as an independent team, please contact the CNA Secretary and they will provide registration details for you and your team mates. (Please note that all junior teams must be registered through an affiliated club. There are no independent junior teams.)

SO, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PLAY NETBALL?

As with any community sport, there are some fees and costs to play netball, although it is quite an economical sport to play compared to other sports. Here's a breakdown of the typical costs for most players.

PLAYER REGISTRATION

Every player needs to pay registration. This covers a variety of things such as Netball Australia and Netball NSW fees (they provides player insurance and the background systems for competitions, etc), local council fees (for use of the courts throughout the season), Association fees, and Club fees. Each year, the fees for Netball Australia, Netball NSW, the local council and the Association are set. The fees set by clubs may vary slightly between clubs. Including club fees, NetSetGo registration is around $210-$230 per player, junior registration is around $210-$230 per player, and senior registration is around $220-$240 per player.

(For eligible children aged 18 or younger attending a NSW school, NSW Active Kids vouchers may be used to reduce the cost of registration . Get your Active Kids Voucher number before you start the online registration process as you need the voucher number when you are completing your registration. )

UMPIRE FEES

Each junior and senior team is required to provide an umpire each week. Sometimes, people will volunteer to do this from within their own team. However, often teams will pay someone to fulfil the team's umpiring obligation. If you belong to a club, the club officials may be able to help your team find someone to umpire for your team. Depending on your club and your team, players are likely to pay anywhere between $30-$80 to cover umpiring for the season, if you can't find someone who will do it for free. Your club officials, coach, or team manager will be able to tell you how this works for your team.

UNIFORM AND GEAR

Typically, a new netball dress will cost between $80-$100. Some clubs will also offer jackets, trackpants, shorts, singlets or tshirts. Often the clubs will have active buy-swap-sell arrangements for people looking to pick up a second-hand uniform, so ask your club for details if you are on the lookout for a preloved uniform - you might grab a bargain!

All players need to wear appropriate footwear - your feet work hard during a netball game. Supportive sports shoes are ideal. Currently, The Athlete's Foot at Charlestown (one of our sponsors) will give our players a discount when buying netball shoes - just mention that you are a member of Charlestown Netball Association!

Clubs will provide their teams with balls, bibs, and equipment for training and games.

What about training and games?

Most teams typically train once during the week and then play on the Saturday in competition. Many teams arrange their training session to happen after school or after work. Training usually runs for 60-90 minutes, depending on the age of the players. Your team coach will determine the day and time of training, in consultation with players/parents. Many teams schedule their training on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights as the court lights are operational on those nights during winter.

For our winter competition, games are played on a Saturday. In a typical season, there are usually 14-15 rounds of general play, followed by three rounds of final games (preliminary finals, semi-finals, grand finals). The first round of play is often in late March, with the season usually finishing in late August/early September. Younger teams play earlier in the day and senior teams play later in the day. You can see the schedule of games for this year on the calendar page.