Curtin Hamersley Comets and Southside Demons face off in first-ever WANL in Pingelly

WA Netball League games will be played in Pingelly for the first time when the Curtin Hamersley Comets and Southside Demons face-off on Sunday. The clubs will contest official fixtures in the open women, 20-and-under women and men’s divisions at the Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre in front of what is expected to be a big crowd. Those games will highlight a weekend of community netball events in the Wheatbelt town as part of the State Government’s Country Sport Enrichment Scheme. Administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the scheme provides support to organisations to deliver high-level events and sport development opportunities for regional WA. The regional visit was scheduled for last year but had to be postponed and the Pingelly Panthers Netball Club in conjunction with Netball WA and the two clubs will bring two days of action to the local community. A NetSetGO and Rising Stars clinic will also be held in Pingelly on Saturday to be delivered by Netball WA with the support of the two competing clubs. The Rising Stars clinic will double as a free coaching clinic for coaches of all levels from 2.30-4pm and on Sunday there will also be an umpiring clinic before the main games. Pingelly Panthers Netball Club secretary Alex Hodges said it was fantastic to have such a big event in the town. “We have definitely not had anything like this in the area before and we haven’t had the facilities in the past,” Hodges said. “Netball WA visited a couple of years ago and were really impressed and it took a letter from our club to see if we can get some WANL games here. “We just don’t get access to this level of development with our high-level players and our coaches so the clinics will be great. “To watch the WANL games live will also be very cool. “A lot of work and time has gone into this and it is being run as a fundraiser for our club so we hope lots of people get down and support it.” The fifth-placed Comets and sixth placed Demons will clash in round 12 of the open competition, in what is a vital game for both teams’ finals aspirations. The main game will start at 1.30pm and is preceded by the 20-and-under fixture at 10am and the men’s game at 11.45am. Netball WA general manager of community netball Liz Booth said she was looking forward to seeing competitive games of the Gold Industry Group WANL played in front of regional spectators. “Regional WA is such an important part of the Netball WA pathway, with so many talented players, umpires and officials starting out in country competitions,” Booth said. “To be able to take GIG WANL games and community clinics to Pingelly provides a great opportunity for the clubs to connect with local participants and hopefully encourage more of them to pursue their passion for netball. “I thank Comets and Demons for their involvement in this initiative, the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries for their ongoing support and of course the community of Pingelly for hosting this weekend of events.” Tickets for Sunday’s games are $15 for adults and children under 16 free but there is a limit of two per transaction and are available at https://bit.ly/3e7Wrok.