The inaugural Men’s Super League took center stage at Netball SA Stadium this week, as the state’s top male netballers took to the court for Round One.
The launch of the Men’s Super League is a major milestone for netball in South Australia, consisting of six clubs from Netball SA’s Premier League competition: Contax, Garville, Matrics, Oakdale, South Adelaide and Tango netball clubs.
Presented by the South Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association, the first round of the competition showcased high levels of skill, physicality, and speed.
Each match was a testament to how far men’s netball has come, and the rapid rate at which the game continues to grow at all levels.
Matrics goal shooter and Southern Dragons state team player Alec Davis was proud to be a part of the inaugural round.
“It’s the start of a new era and we are all really proud to be out there for game one,” Davis said.
“It was a major step up in terms of competition across the board, especially getting a lot of the boys prepped for April for the big dance.”
The inaugural competition is also paving the way for young players looking to develop their skills and compete at the highest level.
“It’s really good to see the league create opportunities for young players, every team has some development players in their Super League squad, so we know that the teams who are going to be successful are those who put the effort into the young ones,” Davis said.
Many players like Davis have been converted to the sport after years of playing basketball, however he admits he hasn’t looked back since making the switch.
“It’s definitely taking over, its much more netball than basketball these days and I’m proud to be part of it,” Davis said.
“Netball is the perfect mix of smarts and athleticism… I think there is transferable skills from any sport and the game is very welcoming to everyone, no matter your speed, height, size -I really recommend getting into netball.
Netball SA CEO Bronwyn Klei believes increasing male participation in netball will only strengthen the sport further.
“We want to raise awareness and exposure for men and boys in netball and we want to increase our participation opportunities,” Klei said.
“We also want to reduce the stigma around males playing netball, anybody who thinks men are not serious about their netball should come out to the Men’s Super League on a Monday night and see just how tough a competition it is,” she said.
Round One saw long-standing rivals Contax and Garville take centre stage on court one, but it was a one-sided affair with Garville taking a commanding win 60 to 42.
Similarly, Matrics beat Oakdale 72 to 53 on court 2, whilst South Adelaide beat Tango 54 to 43.
