A netball squad made up of Waimea College Year 13 students has gone from strength to strength since forming in April 2021 and will head to Fiji in December for their final goal.
The Eve’s Angels Netball team, who currently compete in the collegiate three grade, has evolved under the guidance of Olivia Martyn in the past three years and her inaugural coaching run has been “absolutely amazing”.
After the team’s debut season as the Year 10 C team, the players wanted to stay together, which the college approved, and Olivia kept her coaching role.
She says the team has secured unwavering sponsorship, risen through the local netball competition ranks from collegiate seven to collegiate three, and the players have become confident young women.
“It’s been such a privilege to be part of these girls’ lives for such a long time, to see them for three consecutive years, and now starting our fourth, they have grown so much, not only in their netball skills, but just their life skills as well,” Olivia says.
“I’m very much a person that has always had a philosophy that things need to be dealt with off the court, if you’re going to put your best performance on the court.
“So, whenever there’s been niggles or little issues going on between players like an issue at school, we just rip the band aids off and deal with it, and we discuss it as a team.”
Olivia says another goal she wanted to achieve with the team was to inspire them to play netball for life, and that there was always a position for them in the netball community.
She says the team’s trip to Fiji to compete in the International Netball Festival between 11 and 19 December was not only an opportunity for their final hurrah before they go their separate ways, but to also give back to the country’s grassroots netball.
The festival is held over eight nights, and it includes four playing days, two travel days, and two days of experiencing local Fijian villages.
“Going to another country and exchanging ideas, figuring out how you can grow together and potentially stay in contact for the rest of your life over a common interest being netball, I think is a huge opportunity for them,” Olivia says.
“We all know that Fiji is geographically isolated, it’s harder for them to get access to all the things that we have here like balls, bibs, and uniforms…. but we know they have some amazing talent over there, we’ve seen them hit the international stage multiple times.
“So, it’s about taking all of those items over there and giving them to them… and we’ve also been encouraged to bring all of our coaching drills and warm-up drills so we can grow the sport internationally.”
Olivia says the team has a $48,000 fundraising target for its eight players and four supporters to travel to Fiji, which the team hopes to raise through fundraising events and donations from sponsors and local businesses. You can donate here to help the team get to Fiji.
