Netball Australia and the Australian Government are thrilled to support Netball Fiji, Netball PNG, Tonga Netball Association and Netball Samoa through the PacificAus Sports program at the Oceania Regional Qualifiers ahead of the Netball World Youth Cup (NWYC) 2025.
The Regional Qualifiers are being held from September 16 – 21 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Hosted by Oceania Netball in partnership with Netball Cook Islands, this event will decide which countries compete in the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 to be hosted by Gibraltar Netball.
While Fiji is participating, they have already qualified for the NWYC, leaving four other nations (Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga) contending for the final three spots in the NWYC 2025.
During the lead up to the Regional Qualifiers, Netball Australia’s Pacific Partners Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga have had the opportunity to compete in elite-level competitions in and around Australia through the PacificAus Sports program.
Preparations include events such as the annual Pacific Netball Series, in which teams gained international exposure and competition experience. Additionally, this year young athletes from Fiji had the opportunity to compete in the Rising Stars: Fiji 21/U Tour in which they played against 21/U teams from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in an elite standard of competition, directly preparing players for the Regional Qualifiers.
Emma Mateo and Lucia Fauonuku will compete for Tonga 21/U at the Regional QualifiersCEO of Tonga Netball Association Salote Sisifa expressed how the partnership with PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia has helped Tonga build their strongest team for the Regional Qualifiers through high performance camps and by helping coaching staff move around the Tongan diaspora to do trials and selections to make sure the team is made of Tonga’s best, regardless of where one lives.
Sisifa explained how more than half of Tonga’s 21/U team have competed in the Pacific Netball Series in Australia.
“Competitions like this give athletes the chance to harness their skills at the highest level, playing with athletes who are older, more experienced and could give them a good run,” she said.
“This offers small yet impactful takeaways for them to use in developing teams like the one for Netball World Youth Cup.”
In the lead up to events such as the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 in Gibraltar and the Netball World Cup 2027 in Sydney, seeing the prolific growth of netball across different regions including Oceania, as well as an increase in the standard of play elevates the game at an international level, allowing for further growth within the sport.
The Pacific Netball Series has helped provide international competition experience for young athletesPapi Alaalatoa, captain for Netball Samoa 21/U at the Regional Qualifiers, expressed how events such as the Pacific Netball Series has helped prepare the team well for the Regional Qualifiers.
“Past competitions have showed many strengths and talents throughout the years and it’s growing stronger and stronger. It’s made me mentally ready for what’s ahead at this year’s Qualifiers.”
Alaalatoa expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to showcase younger talent in Samoa and to represent her country.
“Working with PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia has always been a pleasure,” she said.
“Leading up to every comp there is always another opportunity you can’t take for granted, as always I’m looking forward to putting on the dress for Samoa.”
A collaboration between Australia and the Pacific, the PacificAus Sports program aims to elevate Pacific netballers’ pathways to elite competition through athlete immersion programs and high-performance workshops and also by offering support for major events like the Oceania Qualifiers.
About PacificAus Sports
PacificAus Sports is an Australian Government sports diplomacy initiative developing pathways for Pacific teams and athletes to compete in elite competitions and access high performance coaching in Australia and internationally. The program partners with Australian national sports organisations to support a range of Pacific sports, including rugby league, rugby union, netball, football, AFL, cricket and Olympic/Paralympic sports, with funding split evenly between women and men. PacificAus Sports also partners with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) to promote Pacific sport through ABC Television’s ‘That Pacific Sports Show’ and ABC Radio’s ‘Fresh Off the Field’. The high-performance outcomes of PacificAus Sports are complemented by the Australian Government’s Official Development Assistance Program and the Team Up program, which focuses on sport for development in the Pacific.
