Nasinu Gospel School has staged a comeback to the Nasinu Primary Schools Netball Association competition after a three-year absence, renewing hopes for a deeper talent pool in the Nasinu netball scene. The move follows recent trials that saw several Nasinu Gospel players picked as potential representatives for Fiji, a development sports coordinator and under-12 coach Letila Peckham described as a vindication of the school’s renewed focus on grassroots development.
Peckham said the school missed last year’s competition because it coincided with the Easter break and had not participated in the two years before that. “The girls have really put in the hard work. Our teachers have been very supportive, and the parents are also on board,” she said, noting the return was the result of coordinated effort from staff and families to rebuild a competitive program.
The school’s strategy this season targets the lower primary cohort with the aim of establishing a long-term development pathway. “It’s about development. We want to introduce netball early so the children can grow with the game,” Peckham said, explaining that starting skills, game understanding and fitness at a younger age will provide a foundation for stronger senior teams in future years.
Trials held recently to identify talent for upcoming national events provided an immediate payoff for the school. Several players from Nasinu Gospel were selected to move forward as candidates to potentially represent Fiji, Peckham confirmed, and she publicly thanked the national and regional selectors for recognising the ability of her pupils. Details on which players were chosen or the events they may contest have not been disclosed by the school.
As a faith-based institution, Nasinu Gospel continues to emphasize all-round development, pairing sporting ambitions with academic and personal growth. “We aim to mould our girls to be both good players on the court and good students in the classrooms,” Peckham said, underscoring the school’s dual commitment to sport and education as complementary rather than competing priorities.
With the association’s national championship on the horizon, Nasinu Gospel’s return adds fresh faces and energy to the tournament and could strengthen Nasinu’s representation at higher levels if the selected players progress through trials. The school’s re-entry also speaks to a broader push to rebuild youth sport opportunities disrupted over recent seasons, and to ensure smaller schools are able to compete and contribute players to the national talent pathway.
For Nasinu netball officials and local supporters, the sight of Nasinu Gospel back on the court is being welcomed not only for short-term competition but for what it may signal about renewed investment in youth sport across the region.
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