A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROCKINGHAM AND DISTRICTS NETBALL ASSOCIATION

The actual date of commencement of netball in the Rockingham Community is a little unclear.

However, it is understood its beginnings commenced in the early 1960’s and was known at that time as the Rockingham/Kwinana Association, which was located in Medina. It is further understood that the Association commenced with one team which played against a team from Medina alternate weekends.

In the 1970’s teams who registered to play netball played on bitumen courts in Royal Road, Safety Bay and shared these facilities with the Rockingham Basketball Association.

Monthly Meetings were held in the Staff Room at the Safety Bay High School on the first Wednesday of each month.

It is believed that the RDNA was officially formed in 1980 and received its Certificate of Incorporation in 1984. It was in 1984 that netball and basketball moved to the newly built Dixon Road Complex where it remains to this day. Netball was played outdoors on 15 bitumen courts and had a small office under the main roof of the Rockingham Basketball Stadium. In 1986 the RDNA paid the sum of $15,000 for a veranda to be supplied and erected adjacent to the northeast of the Basketball stadium in an endeavour to provide some shelter for spectators and players during inclement weather.

In the early 1990’s a Building Fund Committee was formed to help finance the structure of a ‘stand-alone building’ with the intention of providing a show court for the use of elite competition, coaching and umpiring courses plus better office and storage facilities for the Netball Association. It was proposed that the Rockingham & Districts Netball Association would enter into a three-way partnership with the Rockingham City Council and the Ministry of Sport & Recreation to fund this building. Rockingham City Council rejected the proposal on the grounds that the existing Basketball Stadium was under-utilized and that further funding for this complex was not an option.

During mid to late 1990 the Rockingham City Council and the Rockingham Basketball Association undertook planning to upgrade the Rockingham Basketball Stadium to house an additional 3 new courts. Netball was given the option to use these courts provided it did not clash with the domestic basketball competition and subsequently elected to hold a Women’s Netball competition on Monday evenings. This competition subsequently eroded the Saturday Senior competition as the women preferred to play their netball indoors.

Netball was afforded a new office and reception area in the newly built section of the stadium and this office overlooked the outside courts ($20,000 was donated to Rockingham City Council by the RDNA in appreciation).

In later years and with increasing pressure from the Rockingham City Council for the Basketball Stadium to be more fully utilized the RDNA was approached by the then Management of the Basketball Association to consider taking the Junior competition inside to assist with the utilization of the indoor courts and help with the ever-increasing costs of maintaining the Basketball Stadium. Both Senior and Junior netball competitions are currently held at the Mike Barnett Sports Complex.