Emmanuel Catholic College started our prestigious Netball Specialist Program in 2016, and since its inception it has been a great success going from strength to strength at the College. Netball is currently offered as a specialised course in Years 7-10. These Academy students have practical and theory classes for 2-4 hours per week. Our Academy has extended into our Year 11 and 12 classes with specialised classes, both inside and outside of school time, focusing on further developing their Netball skills as well as providing them with life skills to assist them in reaching their goals in the outside world. The Program offers students the opportunity to succeed in the following; Netball skill development, sports nutrition, fitness testing, injury prevention, game systems/strategies, coaching and umpiring.
The College has excellent partnerships with East Fremantle Sharks WANL Netball Club which allows players to gain an insight on what it takes to make it at the elite level. With our strong link with East Fremantle Sharks, our students have been involved with specialist clinics that run after school from the players, ability to watch training sessions and games and have specialist sessions about nutrition and what it is like to play at an elite level. East Fremantle Sharks also offer one Emmanuel student a scholarship each year for a player that is in there underpinning Sharks program. It is a very strong relationship and will only continue to grow as we work together to develop our students on and off the field.
The SSWA Champion Schools Competition is the major netball competition in which the Aces compete with schools around the state. Our Year 7/8 girls won the competition and were crowned Champions for their age group. This is a massive achievement for the girls and College and is a testament to the training of the students and the progression of the Netball Academy.
Coaching Staff
Coaching and teaching staff involved within the Emmanuel Catholic College Netball Academy Program have their Advanced Coaching qualification or are working towards it. Academy teaching staff frequently attend student’s community club, development or State Netball games to observe their performance and provide adequate feedback. All staff are continually participating in Professional Development courses and looking at new ways in which they can improve their coaching.
Facilities
The sporting facilities at Emmanuel Catholic College are exceptional. The Sport and Performing Arts Centre of Excellence contains a fitness gymnasium, which is commonly used for fitness testing and assessment of players.
A weights conditioning room dedicated to players allows for the introduction and completion of strength and conditioning Programs. The state of the art equipment is designed specifically to develop attributes related to Netball such as increasing strength, power, speed and aiding injury prevention.
Students are regularly filmed during training activities and games to allow for the continual development and correction of skill technique, tactics and game play.
Tours/Excursions
Over the course of the Program, students will be exposed to quality opposition from other schools and junior netball teams to develop their skills and knowledge of various aspects of the game. The Melbourne tour is starting up again, the students will have the opportunity to play the Waverley International Schools Netball Championship. This will be a fantastic way to see the students This competition hosts schools form across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. The Waverley International School Championship is renowned as one of the best netball competitions in the country and will be great to see our students be compared to the best. Throughout the Academy years, girls will be involved in various camps travelling to range of country locations both playing, umpiring and coaching. Students will have a variety of guest speakers from local clubs, Netball WA and the West Coast Fever. The aim of this to provide students with an understanding of what it takes to make it at the elite level.