The World Cup might be over, but the wheels of international netball have continued turning, with a string of overseas teams touring Australia in recent weeks.
Thailand’s national netball team returned to Bangkok on Thursday after spending more than two weeks in Australia as part of their preparations for the 2019 South East Asia Games in the Philippines, which begin on November 30.
The squad toured with head coach Li Li Chng and Netball Thailand president Datin Seri Narumon Siriwat, and received regular matchplay against state-based Australian teams, along with training sessions at the New South Wales Institute of Sport and opportunities for coaching development.
Chng said she was thrilled to be able take her players outside of South East Asia for the first time and expose them to world class netball.
“Netball is still a growing sport in Thailand - we don’t have a strong or established team for the national side to play against,” she said.
“We wanted to take this opportunity to learn to play with players with bigger bodies and height, with more agility and speed.”
Netball Australia CEO Marne Fechner said hosting teams from Asia was of critical importance to the game’s growth globally.
“It’s been fantastic to work with a number of teams from the Asian region, including Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand, who have toured Australia in the past month,” Fechner said.
“There’s no question that we’re connected through a common passion to develop and grow netball, and we look forward to supporting more of that work under the new leadership of the region.”
Local experiences for the Thailand team also extended off the court, with the squad attending the Suncorp Super Netball semi-final between the NSW Swifts and Sunshine Coast Lightning.
The Thai players had the opportunity to meet Swifts athletes after the game.
