Bua’s hopes of rebuilding a competitive netball programme have been undermined by a shortage of facilities, limited resources and falling school participation, the manager of the province’s representative side has warned.
In the latest development for netball in the northern province, Bua Gold team manager Onisovoro Milala said only two schools currently make up their squad, leaving organisers struggling to stage regular training or club competition. “There are no proper facilities for netball or rugby, and the sport is not well supported in some areas. It is not well established,” Milala said, describing a lack of dedicated netball courts, training networks and other basic sporting infrastructure across the province.
Geography compounds the problem. Milala said distances between schools have made it difficult to bring players together for more than a single session before team selection. “We only meet once to select the team because the schools are far apart,” he said, noting that the one-off approach limits coaching time and makes it harder to identify and develop players’ skills.
Financial pressure has also been a barrier. Milala said schools originally requested levies between $100 and $200 per child to cover participation costs, but the fee was reduced to $50 to ease the burden on parents. The reduced levy is used to pay for transport, administration and meals for players at tournaments and selection trials. Teachers have frequently supplemented those funds from their own pockets, while some parents have provided ad hoc assistance with transport and other expenses.
The absence of a local club competition is another factor slowing player development. “We only play to select teams for tournaments. There is no proper club competition,” Milala said, explaining that without regular matches and a competitive pathway at the community or club level, young players lack the game time and progression needed to raise standards.
Milala also pointed to a shift in sporting preference among students that is eroding netball’s grassroots base. He said many girls are now choosing soccer and rugby over netball, leading to a decline in participation and leaving netball often viewed as a secondary option within schools.
Those combined challenges have left Bua’s netball programme reliant on intermittent preparation and the goodwill of teachers and parents, rather than sustained investment or a structured development pathway. Milala’s comments underline the practical barriers facing rural provinces in fielding competitive teams and suggest that without improved facilities, transport solutions and renewed school-level engagement, netball in Bua will continue to struggle to produce regular competitive squads.