Netball Manawatu

What Netball Manawatu does

Netball Manawatu (legal entity: Netball Manawatu Centre Inc) is a regional netball incorporated society and member centre operating under Netball New Zealand and Netball Central Zone, headquartered at Vautier Park, 43 Puriri Terrace, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Founded in 1914 when netball was first played in Palmerston North, the organisation now coordinates competitions, development programmes, and events for over 4,500 players, coaches, umpires, and officials across the Manawatu region, with service reach extending into Horowhenua. It operates from a 17-court outdoor facility at Vautier Park and uses CET Arena for indoor Premier and secondary school competitions.

The organisation's product portfolio spans six competition grades (Premier, Club, Secondary School, Intermediate, FutureFERNS, Social) supplemented by tournaments (Pre-Season, Betty Steffensen, Junior, Opens, Carnival), the Representative Programme (U14 through Open Women's plus U17 Men), Academy and Prep 4 Reps development pathways, school holiday programmes for ages 5-14, coaching and umpiring development aligned to the Netball NZ framework, the Netball Smart injury-prevention programme, and community-facing initiatives such as Kia Maori Poitarawhiti and the new 2026 Community Fitness Sessions. Technology is delivered through a third-party SaaS platform (Sporty.co.nz), which powers competition management (SKED draws, team registrations, grade management) and the Game Day App for live scoring, draws, results, and team sheet submission on iOS and Android. The Men's Netball Pilot Programme was launched in May 2026 as a standalone competition format.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: team and player registrations across all competition grades, tournament entry fees (e.g., $120 per team for the Pre-Season Tournament), holiday programme fees ($40-$100 tiered), venue and facility hire of courts and floodlights at Vautier Park and CET Arena, and Academy/development programme fees. The model is supplemented by corporate sponsorship (Woolworths as FutureFERNS flagship partner, Innes Dean Lawyers for naming rights on Premier and Club competitions, Pita Pit for Intermediate, Inspire Net for Summer Social). Governance is via a Board of Trustees (Chairman Matt Kidby; Vice Chairman Bevan Catley) with operational leadership from General Manager Ashleigh Kate Araroa-Waerea. The organisation is community-led and event-driven, acquiring participants through club trials, school programmes, community events, and word-of-mouth within the Manawatu netball community.

Name

Netball Manawatu

Legal name

Netball Manawatu Centre Inc

Website

https://netballmanawatu.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Netball Manawatu is a regional netball incorporated society in Palmerston North, New Zealand, coordinating competitions, tournaments, and development programmes for 4,500+ players, coaches, umpires, and officials across the Manawatu and Horowhenua regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Netball Centre Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Community sports organization
• Netball competitions
• Athlete development programs
• Sports event management
• Regional sports federation

Headquarters

HQ city

Wanganui

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Team and Player Registrations: Fees collected from club teams and individual players participating in weekly competitions across Premier, Club, Secondary School, Intermediate, and FutureFERNS grades. Revenue based on team numbers and grade levels.
2. Tournament Entry Fees: Entry fees for pre-season tournaments and special events such as the Pre-Season Tournament ($120 per team), Betty Steffensen Tournament, Junior Tournament, Opens Tournament, and LNISS Carnival.
3. Holiday Programme Fees: Charges for school holiday programmes for children ages 5-14: $40 for 1 day, $80 for 2 days, $100 for 3 days. Additional fees for late collections.
4. Venue and Facility Bookings: Revenue from hiring of courts, pavilion, and floodlights at Vautier Park and CET Arena for training, matches, and events.
5. Academy and Development Programmes: Fees for pre-season Academy programmes for Year 9-13 secondary school students and Prep 4 Reps programmes ($15 for three sessions).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Netball Manawatu is the regional netball centre for the Manawatu district, organising weekly club competitions (Premier, Club, Secondary School, Intermediate, FutureFERNS, Social grades) and annual tournaments at Vautier Park and CET Arena. It runs representative teams at U14, U16, U18, U17 Men and Open Women's levels, school holiday and pre-season Academy development programmes, and coach and umpire training aligned to Netball New Zealand frameworks. Registration, draws, results, and live scoring are delivered through the Sporty.co.nz platform and Game Day App.

Product overview

Netball Manawatu is a regional netball organization operating from Vautier Park in Palmerston North, New Zealand, serving over 4,500 players, coaches, umpires, and officials. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes centered around its core Game Day App for community netball management, and includes structured competitions at club, premier, secondary school, and representative levels (FutureFERNS, Innes Dean competitions, Representative Programme). Supporting offerings include coaching development, officiating programmes, youth engagement through the Youth Advisory Group, and development initiatives like the Netball Smart injury prevention programme, Netball Manawatu Academy, and Holiday Programmes. The 2026 season introduces new initiatives including a Men's Netball Pilot Programme and Community Fitness Sessions as part of expanding community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Game Day App

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,500+ players, coaches, umpires and officials actively involved

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Netball New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational governing body for netball in New Zealand. Netball Manawatu operates under the auspices of Netball NZ which sets rules, regulations, and provides pathways to national competitions. The organization implements NNZ Coach Development Framework and NNZ Bench Rules.
• Netball Central ZonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional zone established October 2012 covering Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Taranaki and Wellington. Oversees promotion, development and growth of netball in the zone by working with member centres. Facilitates Whole of Netball plan.
• WoolworthsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor of the Woolworths FutureFERNS Programme, Netball NZ's official junior netball pathway for Years 1-8. Partnership supports healthier, happier communities and invests in next generation of netballers.
• Innes Dean LawyersmajorOthersNaming rights sponsor for Innes Dean Premier Competition and Innes Dean Club Competition.
• Inspire NetminorOthersSponsor of Inspire Net Summer Social Competition, a social league running February-March 2026.
• Pita PitminorOthersNaming rights sponsor for Pita Pit Intermediate Competition for Year 7-8 students.
• Central Energy Trust (CET) ArenamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndoor venue partner for Premier and secondary school competitions. CET Arena is the primary indoor competition venue used by Netball Manawatu.
• Secondary School Sport NZmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body for secondary school sport. Required for composite team approvals and eligibility confirmations for LNISS Carnival.
• Sporty.co.nzcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider for competition management, registration, draws, scoring, and website hosting. Powers the Game Day App and SKED competition system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Netball Central Zone: Regional zone covering Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Taranaki and Wellington of which Netball Manawatu is a member centre. Directly comparable as a regional netball administrative and coordination body.
• Netball Canterbury: Regional netball centre in the South Island. Comparable as a regional netball organisation operating competitions, representative teams and community programmes for a defined catchment.
• Netball Waikato: Regional netball centre in the Waikato area. Comparable as a New Zealand regional netball organisation running competitions, representative teams and community programmes under Netball NZ.
• Netball Wellington: Regional netball centre serving the Wellington region. Comparable as a peer regional netball organisation offering similar competition, representative and development programmes.
• Netball Otago: Regional netball centre serving the Otago region. Comparable as a peer regional netball organisation with similar competition structure and representative pathways.
• Netball Auckland: Largest regional netball centre in New Zealand. Comparable as a regional netball body delivering club competitions, representative pathways and community development for a defined geography.

Broad incumbents

• Netball New Zealand: National governing body for netball in New Zealand. Comparable as the apex body that sets rules, regulations and pathways under which Netball Manawatu operates, and represents the same sport at a national scale.
• Hockey New Zealand: National governing body for hockey in New Zealand. Comparable as an amateur sport governing body delivering club competitions, representative teams and community development across regional associations.
• Basketball New Zealand: National governing body for basketball in New Zealand. Comparable as a sister amateur sport governing body delivering community competitions, representative pathways and school-based programmes at regional and national levels.

Others

• Sporty.co.nz: Digital competition management platform provider powering Netball Manawatu's registration, draws, results and the Game Day App. Comparable as a technology enabler for community sport organisations in New Zealand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NetballManawatuCentreInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/netball-manawatu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Netball Manawatu