The much-anticipated Suva Primary Schools Netball competition officially commenced last Saturday at the National Netball Centre in Suva, marking the beginning of an exciting season of students in the Suva association.
According to Elenoa Vadei, president of the Suva Primary Schools Netball Association, this year’s tournament has seen a significant turnout, with 25 schools confirmed to participate.
Speaking at the opening, Vadei expressed her optimism about the quality of play this year.
“So far, looking good. We cannot underestimate any of the teams,” she said. “All the teams have greatly improved in their competition compared to last year.”
She highlighted the remarkable progress of some teams that were previously considered less competitive, noting their improved performance in the early stages of the competition.
Among the newcomers this year is Jagindra Primary School from Tacirua, which has entered two teams in the under-12 and under-14 grades.
Vadei emphasised that the defending champions, Stella Marist Primary School, remain a team to watch, along with other strong contenders like St. Agnes, St. Marceline, St. Anne’s, and Dudley.
Notably, CMF College has returned to the competition after a lapse of one year, rejoining the contest to strengthen Team Suva’s lineup.
Vadei praised the dedication and hard work of the officials, who are teachers from the participating schools.
“I salute them for the hard work that they are doing,” she stated, acknowledging their efforts from administrative preparation to on-court management, including the crucial task of verifying player IDs to ensure fair play within the correct age groups.
The competition is scheduled to run weekly for five weeks, followed by elimination rounds in the sixth week, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, association will select its teams for the national meet in Labasa in week 14 of the school term.
With the volume of teams and players participating Suva will field two teams per grade for the national meet.
Vadei also expressed gratitude to the competition’s major sponsor, ACT, who have supported the event for the past three years.
