Three of Taree'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.
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Sophie-Clare Croker from Nabiac, Caitlin Rodgers from Koorainghat and Emma Shoesmith from Old Bar will all be part of the Academy's 15-16s talent squad.
The three 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 traveling 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," Mr Hingston said.
The three will train weekly with the squad in the lead up to the NSW titles in June where they will line up with Manning Valley Netball Association in their respective age groups.
In April, they will represent the Hunter at the 2020 Your Local Club 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 10 other Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) from across the State.
