Two of Maitland’s brightest young netball stars have taken an important step in their representative journey by being selected in the Hunter Academy of Sport's 2020 netball program.
Claira Raymond from Thornton will be part of this year’s 14s Development squad, while Brooke Rooney from Chisolm will join the15-16s Talent squad.
Both girls joined the 40 strong squad that assembled at the Hunter Academy of Sport’s orientation day at Hunter Valley Grammar School on Saturday, where they were introduced to the coaching staff and presented with the uniform by former Academy member and now national netball league representative, Sam Poolman.
The Academy’s netball talent development program gives young athletes from across the wider Hunter Region the opportunity to receive training and tutelage of a world-class standard without the need for moving or travelling to a metropolitan centre.
It also plays a vital role in the Netball NSW Athlete Pathway by identifying, monitoring and developing the skills of young netballers. The program will consist of on court skills training, fitness and athlete education, as per the Netball Australia Develop a Diamond program.
Greater Bank will continue its long-term association with the Hunter Academy of Sport in 2020, once again taking on the major sponsorship of the netball program. Head of Marketing and Customer Experience, Matt Hingston, said the partnership is about more than just providing a financial benefit to the Academy and athletes.
“Greater Bank is proud to continue its partnership with the Hunter Academy of Sport’s netball program. We’ve taken great delight in seeing the dedication of these players and the coaching staff and look forward to being part of their representative journey in 2020,”
Matt Hingston, Greater Bank Head of Marketing and Customer Experience.
Our partnership however provides more than funding to help offset the program costs for the athletes. This year we will also be conducting financial literacy education sessions in association with the University of Newcastle, which will assist in their personal development both on and off the court.
Claira and Brooke will train with the squad in the lead up to the NSW State Titles in June where they will represent the Maitland Association in their respective age groups.
In April, they will represent the Hunter at the 2020 Academy Games at Maitland Basketball Stadium and later in the year will travel to Orange for the Greater Bank Academy Challenge where they will compete against 12 regional sporting academies from across the state.