Thousands to descend upon Echuca for annual netball bonanza

By Oliver Shedden

May 15, 2025

EDNA squad captains Meg Quayle, Audrey Pearce, Harper Shiels, Eliza Pearce, Eden Madison, Ivy Giorgianni, Lulu Williams and Billie Joyce. Photo: Jordan Townrow. Photo by Jordan Townrow

Echuca District Netball Association’s annual tournament is back, with about 1000 players set to hit the court for a day of fun and elite competition.

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The tournament will be held on Sunday, May 18 at the association’s netball courts on High St, Echuca.

There will be more than 90 teams participating from all over country Victoria, including from Sunraysia, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Castlemaine and Kew, as well as a slew of local teams from the Goulburn Valley.

Teams will participate in one of four age groups — under-11s, under-13s, under-15s and under-17s — with players, coaches and umpires bringing the participation tally to over 1000 people on the day.

EDNA itself has nine teams competing across the four age groups, including its rep teams, which are looking to eventually qualify for the 25th Annual Netball Victoria Association Championships in Melbourne on Sunday, June 29.

Matches will begin at 9am, with finals starting at about 3.30pm.

There will be a canteen operating all day along with a barbecue that will serve breakfast and lunch.

EDNA vice-president Betty McCoomb emphasised the club’s excitement for the event, particularly as it is the highest attendance rate the association has ever seen.

“Our numbers this year are the best we’ve ever had; we have 92 teams this year and it’s never been that high, so it’s really incredible to see so many teams all around the region wanting to come and participate in our tournament,” she said.

“We get good numbers to come and watch the tournament, which is great to see the support for our players and the community’s love of netball.”

McCoomb also highlighted the players’ enthusiasm for the tournament, as they will get to play in front of friends and family ahead of the association championships next month.

“All our rep players are really excited to play at their home tournament, especially because for a lot of the younger players it’s an opportunity for family to come and watch and support them,” she said.

“Participating in tournaments as an association is great for our representative teams and if you want those sides to go play at Netball Victoria zones you need them to be practising, so it’s a great opportunity for them to get used to the tournament environment.”

Ultimately, McCoomb put the success of the tournament and the association down to the hard work and dedication of the committee and president Beverly Monigatti.

“We are a really small committee, but they are all extremely hard-working and we could not put on events like this without them,” she said.

“Our tournament organiser and president, Beverly Monigatti, is fantastic, and she has everything so organised and planned from one event to the next to make sure it all runs smoothly.”