The Hon. Chris Minns MP, Premier of New South Wales, was a keen spectator earlier today as he met hundreds of schoolchildren participating in Netball NSW’s Schools Cup Finals as well as representatives from the organisation’s professional Suncorp Super Netball Clubs: the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball.

With young netballers travelling from all over the state to take part in the Schools Cup Finals in Sydney Olympic Park, the Premier witnessed first-hand the game’s enormous reach and impact.

He also toured Netball Central, Netball NSW’s home which doubles as a Netball NSW-operated community facility that welcomes almost 400,000 visitors through its doors annually.

While Netball Central remains one of the most-visited sports venues in Sydney, the elite pathways and professional game has now surpassed the facility’s capacity, especially when it comes to high-performance requirements.

Netball NSW, with the support of the NSW Government, is currently developing a MasterPlan for Netball Central with the aim of creating a full Centre of Excellence to support elite netballers – most notably the NSW Swifts, GIANTS Netball and NSW Pathway athletes – and to continue to serve the wider community as a treasured multi-purpose facility.

The outcomes of the MasterPlan would bring netball in line with other Centres of Excellence that the NSW Government has already supported in Sydney across sports clubs in the NRL, Rugby Union, AFL and Cricket.

With the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney on the horizon, Netball NSW is also working closely with the NSW Government to deliver a Legacy Plan, which seizes on the opportunity the global event will bring and on strategies to further engage with First Nations and multicultural communities.

Netball NSW Chair Sallianne Faulkner thanked Premier Minns for visiting:

“On behalf of Netball NSW, it was an honour to welcome Premier Minns to our Netball Central home,” she said.

“Today he was able to see all that is great about netball, by meeting some of our youngest participants, as well as some of the best athletes in the world in the Swifts and GIANTS.

“Netball Central has been, and continues to be, a wonderful community facility and home to our elite teams.

“However, since it opened its doors, netball has continued to grow and grow, and we are now at a stage where this venue is ready for its next evolution.

“The Premier saw up-close the facilities used by the Swifts and GIANTS, which fall short of what high-performance athletes of their calibre deserve and have access to.

“No sport has a bigger community impact, or done more to promote women in elite sport, than netball.

“We are very grateful to the NSW Government for their support in developing our MasterPlan and to Premier Minns for taking the time to come out and listen to our plans.

“With the World Cup coming to Sydney in 2027, we look forward to continuing to work with the NSW Government to finalise our Netball Central MasterPlan and then continue that joint project to make it a reality.

“They are a vital stakeholder when it comes to delivering our vision for netball as a game and the community we serve.”