Junior Club
Joining the junior club
Devizes Netball Club started its junior section 20 years ago, and has been going strong ever since. Girls can join the club from the Easter before they join year 5, and stay in the junior section until year 11, although talented players may be moved up into the senior club earlier.
For girls in year 5 and 6, you will be offered a place on the waiting list if the year group is full.
From year 7, we only offer places to girls in year group squads if they are of a comparable standard to the athletes already in the squad. Girls may be offered a trial session. For girls who are new to netball, or who trialled but weren't ready for that standard of netball, we do have a 'social session' on Monday nights. This is led by one of our experienced coaches and is an environment where girls can gain experience and build their basic skills. Girls in that session may be offered a place in the age group squads. There is a maximum of twenty places in the social session.
When you apply for a place, we will contact you and let you know your next steps.
All junior players and parents of junior players,are asked to sign up to the club's codes of conducts as part of their membership:
Kit
We do have a junior kit shop which you can find here. Junior kit is optional. At the moment we have a blue club t-shirt and a black skort, which we like girls to have for matches; a waterproof jacket suitable for training in, a bobble hat and a hoody as well as a kit bag.
Once a girl is selected to one of the three Jax squads, she will need a club dress: the club will order those for you and we will give you info about that..
Girls should also have their own netball, which they should bring to training each week. For years 4, 5 and 6 this should be a size 4 ball; for older girls a size 5 ball.
Competition
Years 5-10 play in regular friendly tournaments and occasional other friendlies throughout the year as well as competitive tournaments.
Years 9, 10 and 11 form our 'Jax' squads, which consist of three teams playing in the Moonraker Senior League. The Moonraker Senior League plays matches on either Tuesday or Thursday nights during the season (September to May).
We also have a squad in the Southwest Netball U16 regional league (division 1).
Training
Depending on which squad girls are in, training takes place on either Monday evening or Friday evening.
The following groups train on Mondays. From September we will be temporarily training at Nursteed School, Brickley Lane SN10 3BF while the courts at the Leisure Centre are being repaired. Times are as follows:
- Years 5 and 6 (and year 4s from after Easter): 5.30-6.30pm
- Years 7 and 8: 6.30-7.30pm
- Jax Development (girls in years 9 to 11 not in the Friday squads): 7.30-8.30pm
We train every week during term time between September and May (with a longer break at Christmas).
Training is only cancelled if the weather is very bad – either extremely cold or heavy rain. For the 5.30pm and the 6.30pm session, we make the decision to cancel at 4.45pm – it will be posted on the junior Facebook page immediately, and on the website as soon as possible. Please note, we will not be able to reply to text or phone queries. A decision about the 7.30pm session will be made at 6.30pm.
For safety reasons, girls MUST be collected from the school at the end of their session. We do realise that it isn’t always easy to park, but as our responsibility for your daughter ends only when we hand her over to you, we cannot allow them to leave the school unaccompanied – you will have to come and collect them from us. The only exception to this is for girls in year 7 and above, where we have had permission for them to leave unaccompanied. If you are happy for them to leave unaccompanied, please let us know this in writing. If girls are not collected on time, we will keep them with us and contact parents using the contact details you have given us. If in the very unlikely event that they are not collected by you or your representative we will have to follow safeguarding procedures and contact out of hours social care.
The following groups train on Friday nights:
- Year 7 and 8 Academy - beginning either 6pm or 6.30pm
- Buzzards (years 9-11) - beginning either 6pm or 6.30pm
- Jax Performance (years 9 to 11) - beginning either 7pm or 7.30pm
Their training takes place in the Sports Hall at Dauntsey's School, West Lavington, and is led by our Head of Performance, Kerri Bradley.
Again, girls must be collected from the entrance area to the Sports Hall after training and cannot leave unaccompanied unless we have agreed to a request in writing.
There is a dedicated junior phone which will be with our coaches on training nights, and which is checked periodically throughout the week. The number is 07497 405850.
We also support players in the England Netball pathway, and usually have players in both satellite and county academies, and from time to time in Team Bath's and Surrey Storm's regional hubs and academies.
Jo Moody is the Head of Juniors, and we have a large group of coaches who work with the girls.
