Maitland Rugby Blacks Netball Club are expecting one of their biggest seasons yet with the club to field 25 teams in this year's Maitland Netball Association competition.
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The club held a registration morning at Marcellin Park on Saturday and is holding another session on Tuesday at Marcellin from 5.30-7pm.
It's been a big week for Blacks netball with the club formally coming under the Maitland Rugby Club umbrella with constitutional changes being passed to make netball a Blacks sub-committee.
MRBNC treasurer Michelle Forbes said the netball club was in a unique position as part of the Maitland Blacks family and the future was guaranteed now the association had been formalised.
"The club is continuing to grow we will have 25 teams this season which equates to about 230 players from under-7s through to senior ranks," Forbes said.
With the Blacks moving forward with negotiations with the Catholic Church for the long-term use of Marcellin Park and construction pending on a new grandstand which will incorporate women's change rooms, the next stage of development at the ground will include netball courts.
MRBNC president Katherine Field said players were attracted to the club from across Maitland and as far afield as Kurri Kurri, Seaham and beyond.
"For a lot of our players there's a family connection with the club. Fathers, brothers and now sisters may be rugby players and it's great for everyone to be involved in the same club," she said.
"We have more and more girls who are playing both netball and rugby."
MRBNC reigistrar Jorga Field said longer-term plans to establish training courts at Marcellin Park was an exciting prospect going forward.
"I think having everyone training at the same location is going to be terrific," she said
"It will not only be convenient for parents to drop the kids off at the same venue for netball and rugby, but it will make it a lot easier for a lot of mothers to also get back into netball as they can train at the same facility as the kids."
Katherine said the club had managed to keep fees down and registration was a once-off expense for netballers.
She said the registration fee for Net Set Go players was $135 this year, juniors were $185 and seniors $215.
"As a club we also offer financial support for all our representative players to attend tournaments," Katherine said.
"That assistance applies to all the associations players may represent. We've had players represent Port Stephens and Kurri Kurri as well as Maitland.".
Juniors are eligible for the $100 Active Kids Voucher and details will be available at the registration session.
