Mataiasi Stark 
Navatu Secondary School netters.
Just like their Under-19 rugby team, which defied the odds to reach the Vodafone Deans final, Navatu Secondary School’s netball side is overcoming significant challenges to compete at the Crest Fiji Secondary Schools Netball Championship.
Team manager Tomasi Veiba says a lack of facilities continues to be one of the school’s biggest hurdles, with players forced to prepare without a proper court or sporting equipment.
“For Navatu Secondary School, just like our Under-19 rugby side, we have no proper training ground or court, no proper sports equipment and other things to fully prepare our students for sporting competitions.”
Veiba says the team has relied on a nearby primary school ground for training as it prepared for the national championship.
“We used a nearby primary school playing ground for our training and preparation.”
Getting the team to Viti Levu also required a major community effort, with fundraising playing a key role in covering travel costs.
“It also wasn’t easy to bring the students due to financial constraints. We did some fundraising and other ways we could so our students could come to Viti Levu and showcase their talents in netball.”
Despite the obstacles, Navatu’s players have embraced the opportunity to compete on the national stage, continuing a growing sporting success story for the Vanua Levu school.
The Fiji Secondary School Netball Championship continues at Jai Narayan College and will conclude tomorrow.
