Worry no longer, because the Ulladulla District Netball Association is holding its Come ‘n’ Try Netball day on Saturday, March 7, from 9am to noon.

The association is excited to show all of you why we, and 20 million people worldwide, love this sport.

But my child has never played netball before!

Never fear! You don’t have to be a fifth generation netballer to join our club. UDNA, with Netball NSW, runs the ANZ NetSetGO program, designed specifically for our new players, aged 5 to 10 years old. NetSetGO aims to provide the best possible learning and playing experience, and hopes to provide an enjoyable start to many years of netball participation.

NetSetGO is a weekly program run by our enthusiastic coaches, and incorporates skill activities, minor games and modified matches. The rules are simplified too – players have five seconds to pass the ball, defenders must be 1.2m away, feet can be shuffled on the spot and the goal posts are dropped 60cm.

Still not sure? Please come to our Come ‘n’ Try day this Saturday, March 7th from 9am to midday. There’ll be coaching, games and giveaways – come and play!

But I’m old! Why should I play netball?

Many of us are now in our forties (and beyond!), and joined our first teams decades ago. As the seasons have passed, we’ve fallen more in love with the sport. Yes, we know many of you hated it as kids. Yes, we know it can be cold, and the opposition can be fearsome, and yes, take a tumble and you will be wearing band aids for weeks…

But playing netball lets us be a different version of ourselves. At home, work and socially, we must compromise, communicate and be respectful. On court, we can shuck off these outer layers and become instinctive, competitive and more alive. When we’re on court, our team mates become our warrior sisters, and even if we are not the fittest or most talented, we can still revel and glory in the team’s shared trials and triumphs. Even a close loss will makes our bodies sing with adrenaline – and we get to share it with 6 of our new closest friends.

Yes, netball is great exercise, but it’s so much more. It’s teamwork, gossiping, running, relationship advice, passing, therapy, pivoting, social networking, leaps, heckling, stretching and moments of sheer netballing brilliance. It’s aggressive and powerful, but most of all, it’s a game that insists you come back for more.

Have you considered umpiring?

Want to improve your game? Keep fit? Support your club? As an umpire, you can do all this and more.

UDNA has the support of an incredible number of experienced umpires – including Ros Marion, Liz Graham, Ruth Robson, Robin Butler – who between them have umpired thousands of games (at local to State level) and mentored hundreds of umpires.

And the good news? They will be running an Umpires’ Coaching Clinic at our Come ‘n’ Try Netball Day this Saturday!

Umpires are the most important person on the court – games can’t start without them! You will get the best “seat” in the house. Blowing your whistle, you will be analysing the game, anticipating the play and learning court craft. UDNA will support you every step of the way – from pre-game assistance, to online training, to court side grading – and you will have developed a valuable skill that will look great on your resume, and each week you will earn a canteen voucher to spend how you like! (Qualified netball umpires are a valuable commodity – Sydney competitions can provide valuable casual work, and the work is more fun than babysitting or operating a register! Closer to home, last year Nowra Masters paid Level “C” Umpires $50 per game.)

So please join us on our “Come ‘n’ Try Netball” day this Saturday. Bring your sneakers, water bottle and whistle, and these talented women will pass on the tricks of the trade.

But what if it rains?

Don’t panic! Our “Come ‘n’ Try Day” will be going ahead rain, hail or shine. Check our website for our wet weather arrangements if the weather has turned nasty. See you on Saturday!