Netball Manawatū Pre‑Season Tournament

Saturday April 11^th, 2026

Welcome to the Netball Manawatū Pre‑Season Tournament. We are thrilled to have you join us this year, in preparation for the upcoming season – we appreciate your participation!

Below is important information to help you navigate our tournament for this weekend!

📍 Venue

• Location: Vautier Park, 43 Puriri Terrace – Palmerston North
• Courts: Courts 1-6 will be in use - please be prepared for weather conditions.
• Parking: Entrance from Tremaine Avenue (Red Sox Football Club) & Puriri Terrace, Palmerston North.

🗓️ Tournament Date & Format

• Dates: Saturday 11 April 2026
• Format: Round Robin – including a final for Section C grade only.
• Grades: Competitive Women’s ONLY – there were too few a number in the social women’s grade.
• Each grade will have 3 sections – and will ONLY play the teams in their allocated section.
• Section A and Section B will play round robin only – no final – winner of the grades will be determined by point standings.
• Section C will play round robin – then a final
• Each team will play 4 games each
• Match Length:
  • 4 x 8‑minute quarters
  • 2 minutes at quarter time
  • 3 minutes at half time
  • No injury time unless play is stopped by the umpire

Please be courtside and ready to take the court 5 minutes before your scheduled game time.

⏱️ Timings & Warm‑Ups

• Teams are required to check-in upstairs at the control tower, at the beginning of the day to signal your teams arrival
• Games will be central timed
• First games will begin at 9:00am – with last games being played at 2:20pm
• Warm‑ups must be completed off the court unless courts are free.
• Fixtures will run to time – delays may result in reduced quarters.

🏐 Rules of Play

• Games will be played under World Netball Rules of Netball unless otherwise stated.
• This is a pre‑season development tournament:
  • Rolling substitutions are permitted (with umpire notification).
• No extra time for tied games.

👩‍⚖️ Umpiring

• An umpire must accompany a team and will only officiate their team
• Minimum of centre badge is preferred
• Abuse or dissent toward umpires will not be tolerated.
• The Netball Manawatū Code of Conduct applies at all times.

🏐 Rules of Play

• Teams must provide a match ball
• Teams must provide bibs and uniforms

🧮 Scoring & draw

• Draw will be live via Pre-Season Tournament 2026
• Scoring will be conducted on Netball Manawatū App
• Teams must provide a scorer for each game. Please ensure you check and confirms the score at the end of each quarter to avoid discrepancies at the conclusion of the game.
• Any scoring queries must be raised immediately during the game OR at the conclusion of the game at the Tournament Control tower.
• Once scores have been submitted and confirmed, they will be considered final.
• Points:
  • Win: 3 points
  • Draw: 2 points
  • Loss: 0 points
  • Bye: 3 points
• Winners will be decided by standings or conclusion of final – please note the sporty system will not allow for this to happen – these will be completed manually on our notice board on the second terrace near the events/umpire’s room.

Managers & Umpire meetings:

• There will be no formal managers and umpires meeting required for this tournament
• Umpires will be provided a copy of the tournament formation for them to read, which will be in the Umpires room on the second terrace.

Team lists

• All team lists must be sent into Netball Manawatū. Any changes to team lists can be amended at check-in before first games begin.
• No changes to team list can be done after the first game of the day.

🩺 Injuries & First Aid

• Basic first aid will be available.
• Teams are responsible for their own strapping and injury management.
• Serious injuries must be reported to the Tournament Control Desk.

🌧️ Weather Policy

• This is an outdoor tournament and will proceed in most weather conditions.
• Netball Manawatū reserves the right to delay, shorten or cancel games if conditions become unsafe.
• Updates will be communicated via team contacts and/or the Netball Manawatū Facebook page.

🧹 Court Etiquette

• Clear the court immediately at the end of your game.
• Collect all rubbish and personal belongings.
• Spectators must stay off the baselines of each court – this is for umpire safety reasons.

Netball Smart Activations

• Netball Manawatū will be facilitating a NetballSmart activation, and is available to all players, coaches, managers, umpires and whānau.

📢 Notices & Results

• Fixtures, updates and notices will be available at the control desk and online where applicable.
• Please listen for announcements throughout the day.

☕ Food & Facilities

• Café available on site – selling hot food, wraps, slices, coffee and a variety of cold drinks – located in the Steffensen Lounge
• Toilets available on‑site
• Water station available on terrace 1.

⚖️ Complaints Process

Netball Manawatū aims to manage all complaints fairly, consistently and in a timely manner.

• Any on‑court decisions made by umpires are final and not subject to dispute.
• Off‑court issues (including scoring concerns, eligibility, or behaviour) must be raised by a team coach or manager only.

Process

1. All complaints must be lodged in person at the Tournament Control Desk within 15 minutes of the conclusion of the game.
2. The complaint must be raised calmly and respectfully. Abusive or aggressive behaviour will not be accepted.
3. The Tournament Convenor (or delegated Netball Manawatū official) will review the matter and may consult umpires, officials, or team representatives as required.
4. A decision will be communicated to the relevant team(s) as soon as practicable.
5. The decision of the Tournament Convenor is final for the purposes of this tournament.

• Protests relating to player eligibility or team compliance may require supporting information.
• No complaints or disputes will be accepted after teams have left the venue for the day.

For more information around our process: Misconduct & Disciplinary process

📞 Tournament Contacts

Tournament Convenor

• Ashleigh-Kate Araroa-Waerea
• Phone: 0272155596
• Email: gm@netballmanawatu.org.nz

Umpire Convenor

• Natasha Taylor
• Phone: 0272318551
• Email: natasha@netballmanawatu.org.nz 

SAFE TRAVELS TO OUR TRAVELLING TEAMS – AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL VERY SOON!

Scoring Codes