NIAS: Netball NSW Academy Camp held in Sydney on the weekend

Athletes made their way to Homebush, where they spent the weekend at Netball Central - with a list of big names assisting them in their development across the weekend.

NIAS netball head coach Kaitlin Driscoll said: "This weekend provides significant opportunities for athletes in regional academies.

"It is an opportunity that very few are able to be involved in.

Read also:

"So it was fantastic to see so many NIAS netball athletes taking advantage of it and taking in the advice from the guest coaches and athletes on the weekend."

The camp is staged each year and is offered only to athletes, coaches and managers in current regional academy of sport netball programs.

In 2022, the camp's itinerary featured on-court development with a full day of sessions on Saturday, followed by match play on Sunday.

The players were put through their paces by the likes of Anita Keelan (a high-performance coach and former Swifts assistant coach); Paige Hadley (the Swifts' co-captain); Tayla Fraser (a Swifts player); Matisse Letherbarrow (a Giants netball player); and Sophie Dwyer (a Giants player).

The sessions included skills acquisition, specialist skills and physical movement analysis.

Sessions were also provided on nutrition, sprinting ability and explosive movement, and breaking barriers.

Coaches and managers had access to additional sessions including skills acquisition, managing squads and programming.

Aspiring young netballers from NIAS also had the privilege of hearing from current QBE Swifts Academy athletes including ex-NIAS athlete Charlotte Raleigh.

Raleigh was initially at NIAS for swimming, before making the change to netball.

She graduated from the academy in 2016.

Driscoll said: "It was great for the girls to be able to speak with Charlotte, especially as she came through NIAS herself and is now a part of the Swifts Academy."

The Glen Innes and District Services Club netball program will have their final training day this Sunday, in Glen Innes, before travelling to Wagga Wagga in April for the Your Local Club Academy Games.

They will play in pool A and pool B against fellow regional academies of sport.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: