Netball Tour 2017 - DisneyLand Paris

Netballers bring back a collection of silverware (Physical Education - 16/04/2017)

Netball Tour 2017 was a massive success with 8 trophies being brought back from Disneyland Paris.

The first week of the Easter Break saw 51 girls and 6 teachers embark on a first for Newark Academy - Netball Tour to Disney Land Paris. Five days packed with some serious netball and fun at Disney Land.

The journey started at 6:15am on Wednesday 5th April when all the girls met in the Sports Hall, the excitement was building as we awaited our coach to get on our way. Though it being early in the morning all the girls were in high spirits and it wasn't long before the Disney tunes were being sung from the back to the front of the coach. Let it go and Hakuna Matata were the choice songs.

On arrival at our hotel we we were delighted to learn that we had an extra evening in the Disney Land parks, so we had a quick turn around and off to the parks we went. A magical evening watching the light show and fireworks.

The next three days had a packed itinerary with all six teams playing in the group stages and finals of the competition, they also enjoyed having time in Disney along with some fantastic coaching from England Netball sandwiched in the middle.

Whilst the girls were playing their competitive matches and having expert coaching they were also delighted to meet some inspirational Netball players; Eboni Beckford-Chambers (England International) and Joline Henry (New Zealand International) were on hand to talk to the young Netballers and be able to coach them in the coaching sessions. Some of the girls also managed to grab a quick photo with the two internationals, Joline Henry took an opportunity to perfect her 'dabbing' with a few of the year nine girls - of course this is a must on the Netball Court!!

Saturday's finals saw the six teams play in three different competitions. The U14's all played in the morning gaining valuable experience and playing some excellent netball. The U12's played their finals in the afternoon showing great progression from the group stages on Thursday. All teams played brilliantly and set themselves goals along the way, but the day had to go to the U12A team who outplayed the other teams in their competition with some scores hitting double figures, 11 - 1 and 12 - 1 to name but a few. They were crowned WINNERS!

Along with the overall positions being played for, the organisers of the tour were also (unknown to the players and staff) looking out for players who fulfilled the criteria of 'Spirit of the Tournament', two if these awards went to Effie and Macy from the U14 teams. A wonderful achievement.

A fantastic tour filled with achievement on and off the court. Teamwork and commitment shone throughout the week.

Congratulations to all who took part. An AMAZING tour!