A look back at the highlights of 2014 and what we can look forward to on the netball courts in 2015…
2014
It was certainly an action packed year for netball, from grassroots level through to our national team.
The Opens Squad started their competitive year with a trip to Wales for the Northern Cup, which served as valuable preparation for the big competitions they were to face on home soil later in the year.
When the Mission Foods Asian Netball Championships came to Singapore in September, the final selected team of 12 players were in top form and with the thousands of supporters cheering them on each day at the OCBC Arena; they were able to retain the title after a hard-fought victory over Sri Lanka in the finals.
Two months to recover and regroup, and they were back on court for the ninth edition of the Nations Cup. The toughest line-up ever took to the courts and Singapore defied the rankings and exceeded expectations by toppling two sides higher ranked (Papua New Guinea and Botswana), and were pipped at the post twice by top seeds and eventual winners Samoa.
The Cheers Netball Super League continues to go from strength to strength with six teams battling hard for the 2014 title. The honour eventually went to Mission Mannas – their first league title – after they defeats Blaze Dolphins in the final.
The Mission Foods Beach Netball Festival proved popular once again with 50 teams taking part in the fun-filled day at Siloso Beach at Sentosa Island. Sparta took the Women’s Open title, Frenz won the Mixed Category once again, and team ‘X’ picked up the prize for the Women’s U23 competition.
Team spirit was high for the M1 Corporate Challenge too in November. Teams from forty companies donned their sports shoes and joined in the fun at the Kallang Netball Centre. M1’s senior staff and some Members of Parliament even took time out from their busy schedules to take part in an exhibition match in the middle of the day! At the competitive end of the tournament, Deloitte SG took the title after a final match up against JP Morgan. Singapore Airlines and Keppel finished third and fourth respectively.
Competition was fierce in the Schools Competitions last year. In the National Primary Schools Netball Championships, CHIJ Kellock lifted the titles for both the Junior and Senior divisions. In the National C Division, CHIJ Secondary were victorious; Methodist Girls School took the B Division for the first time; and Raffles Institution topped the A Division.
2015
So what does the year ahead hold for us? Plenty of action and excitement if the netball calendar is anything to go by!!!
Netball Super League kicks off the busy year on 24th January with a short but intense competition that concludes on 15th February. We will once again welcome six international players to each join one of the teams and this year we welcome a new team to the line-up, namely the Tiger Sharks. Along with reigning champions Mission Mannas, they are one of two selection teams taking part this year.
The Mission Foods Beach Netball Festival makes its return for this year on Sunday 1st March at Siloso beach. Stay tuned for registration details that will be shared soon and get your friends rounded up for a fun day in the sand.
The Schools Competitions take over the months of March, April and May with the Division A finals scheduled for May 22nd.
June signals the start of the SEA Games as netball makes a welcome return to the competition. Singapore will be gunning for Gold but must overcome their toughest opposition and local rivals Malaysia in their title bid. The action begins on May 31st and the finals take place on the 7th June at the OCBC Arena. Get your tickets and cheer on our National Team to glory.
The National Team will head ‘down under’ at the start of August to face the top netballing nations at the prestigious Netball World Cup, which is being staged in Sydney, Australia from the 7-16th August. Singapore earned their place after their victory at the Mission Foods Asian Netball Championships and will be joined by Sri Lanka in representing the Asian region.
Both teams have been drawn in Pool C, alongside African powerhouses of Malawi and South Africa (5th and 6th in the world respectively) so they have a very tough task ahead. Following the group stages they will move into play offs for final team placing’s.
Back on home soil, mark November 14th in your diaries for the M1 Corporate Challenge and if you fancy trying your hand at Umpiring then there are plenty of courses on offer too, so check out our website for all the information you need to get started.
To round off what is a very busy year, Netball Singapore will celebrate the 10th edition of the Nations Cup from 13th-19th December.
And if that’s not enough then there are plenty of other events for you to get involved with throughout the year including the Daisy Tan Carnival (14th March), Pesta Sukan (5th September) and the M1 School Challenge.
If you aspire to be a future national player then the M1 Talent ID programme may just help you get there! During the school zonal competitions, local talent scouts will be out in force looking to see who has the potential to represent their country at age group and open level. Give it your best and who knows what you can achieve!
Stay up to date with all our news and information on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Wishing you a wonderful year of netball ahead!
