Netball Australia has announced the Marie Little Shield will not go ahead as planned in 2021.
Netball Australia and its Member Organisations made the difficult decision due to the ongoing uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, with the health and safety of the event’s participants, staff and officials the priority.
The Marie Little Shield is an annual event for netballers with an intellectual disability to represent their state in a national competition.
The event was last held in Brisbane in 2019 and cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was scheduled to be held at Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park from Monday 27 – Tuesday 28 September 2021 and hosted by Netball NSW.
Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said the organisation was committed to holding the event in NSW in October 2022.
“We are incredibly disappointed that the Marie Little Shield will not go ahead this year,” Ryan said.
“Unfortunately, the unpredictability and instability of the coronavirus pandemic isn’t going away and our priority is always the safety of our participants.
“This is devastating for the participants and staff who put so much into this event, but we will continue to work with our Member Organisations to ensure it goes ahead in 2022.”
Member Organisations run a range of all-abilities programs in their states and territories, including trials for the Marie Little Shield and skills and team building.
