Tara Murray
The Western Netball League is continuing to grow with the league set to have more than 70 teams next season.
Big plans are in place for the continued growth of the competition for this season and beyond according to netball and events coordinator Jordan Dalliston.
Dalliston said they were looking at 75 teams next year for the first time ever with no club failing to get sides the following season.
There were 59 teams across teams this year.
Werribee Districts, Hoppers Crossing and Sunshine Heights will all have sides next season, while the Hobsons Bay Netball Association becomes the first non-aligned club to join the competition.
“All the clubs netball wise are strong and thriving on the back of the league’s support,” she said.
“We have signed a contract for courts at the State Netball and Hockey Centre for division one to three and division four to seven at Whitten Oval.
“We’re looking to try and hone in on a third venue as well. We’ll look to have 10 to 12 teams in a division and we’re looking at not having as many byes.
“We’ll have a 16 round competition, but it will be more spread out to maximize involvement.”
Dalliston said they were looking to have a pre-season tournament, which would help with grading.
There will be a number of theme rounds throughout the season, with Pride Round to be one of the biggest focuses.
The league’s interleague program will also expand to two teams, up from one this year.
The league is working on changing the structure of the umpiring system in the competition and has a new netball coordinator, Woody Tangaroa.
They will continue to follow the Netball Victoria structure that is in place and will remain without player points to facilitate growth.
Dalliston said they wanted to be a welcoming competition for everyone.
The competition had 20 non-binary or trans people play this season.
“It’s about inclusion,” she said. “We follow the rules and regulations in place from Netball Victoria.
“We welcome all trans and non-binary players, no questions asked. They just need to get a clearance from the league.”
Dalliston said the league was focused on growth in the future.
The league was looking at a junior competition in 2026 with games to be played midweek and looking at representative football.
She said they were also looking at a men’s competition in 2026.
