Fiji Netball will receive high-performance support from Netball Australia ©Getty Images

Netball Australia will be supporting the high-performance needs of the Pacific's top netball teams as they prepare for the 2019 Netball World Cup and Pacific Games. 

They will work with the Australia Pacific Sports Linkages Programme to assist Netball Samoa and Fiji Netball in their preparations for the World Cup in Liverpool, set to take place from July 12 to 21. 

The Tonga Netball Association and Netball Papua New Guinea will receive support for the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, also being held in July. 

“Netball Australia is pleased to extend our support for the growth and development of netball internationally, particularly given that netball plays such an important role in strengthening communities and providing opportunities for girls and women to shine throughout the world,” Netball Australia chief executive Marne Fechner said.

Teams will attend high-performance training camps in Australia, which will include matches against Australian sides. 

The programme will also see Netball Australia develop high-performance coach training resources and content that addresses key areas of intermediate coach development.

Access to such resources had been identified as a key challenge in developing elite netball in Pacific countries.

Pacific netball teams will receive support for the 2019 Netball World Cup and the Pacific Games in Samoa ©Netball World Cup
Pacific netball teams will receive support for the 2019 Netball World Cup and the Pacific Games in Samoa ©Netball World Cup

It will also update Pacific coaching resources at grassroots levels to reflect recent updates in the Netball Australia Coach Accreditation Framework.

The Australia Pacific Sports Linkages Program aims to deliver $40 million (£21m/$28m/€25m) in grants over five years to support the development of Pacific sport.

Netball Fiji had already received a financial boost from Australia in the build-up to the World Cup as part of the Pacific Sports Partnership.

“The programme builds on our commitment to the Pacific region, where we have been working for the past five years as part of the Australian Government funded Pacific Sports Partnership Programme," added Fechner.

"This has included working with communities at the grassroots level to address physical inactivity, as well as inequalities experienced by women and girls.

“This new package of work takes our support to the elite level – ensuring we are supporting quality netball outcomes at all levels in the Pacific.”