For parents of 17/U and 19/U state and territory netball players at the 2026 National Netball Championships (Melbourne, 9-15 April 2026). Covers what the championships are, dates and venue, tickets, watching, fixtures and results, and how they link to Netball Australia's national squads and development camps.
The National Netball Championships began in 1985 and are Netball Australia's 17/U and 19/U pathway competitions. Representative teams from every state and territory compete in the two age groups. Netball Australia's Athlete Selection Policy defines them as the 19/Under and 17/Under age based national competition between states.
Netball Australia says the championships have given athletes, coaches, umpires and officials development opportunities, and are a proven launching pad for stars of the game.
The 2026 championships ran from Thursday 9 April to Wednesday 15 April 2026 at the State Netball Centre, 10 Brens Drive, Parkville, Victoria 3052, in partnership with Visit Victoria. Netball Victoria's guide listed games 1 to 7 from Thursday 9 to Monday 13 April, semi finals on Tuesday 14 April and finals on Wednesday 15 April.
For the 2026 championships, every match was available live and on demand on KommunityTV. Netball Victoria's guide noted that a subscription is required, and that access is free for existing Herald Sun subscribers.
Tickets were sold by Netball Australia through InTix (general admission, up to 50 tickets per order), going on sale to the public at 10:00am AEDT on Wednesday 11 March 2026. The InTix page defined a junior ticket as ages 4 to 14 inclusive, offered a family ticket covering two adults and two juniors (aged 4 to 14), and accepted these concession cards: Pensioner Card, Government Issued Seniors Card, Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card and Full Time Student Card. The InTix page listed no ticket prices.
Event page: https://www.intix.com/event/national-netball-championships-2026/information
For the 2026 championships, Netball Australia linked a full PDF fixture from its "all key details" article, and said results and ladders would be updated throughout the tournament on PlayHQ. Team lists for each state and territory's 17/U and 19/U teams, with their coaches, were published on netball.com.au and marked as subject to change.
Netball Victoria's guide listed games 1 to 7 from 9 to 13 April 2026, with semi finals on Tuesday 14 April and finals on Wednesday 15 April (times to be confirmed at that stage).
Sources: https://netball.com.au/news/all-key-details-nncs and https://vic.netball.com.au/news/your-guide-2026-national-netball-championships
Netball Australia says talent identification takes place during the championships week, and national squads for both age groups (17/U and 19/U) are selected after the tournament. In 2026 the selections were informed by athlete performances at the National Netball Championships in Melbourne, and Netball Australia said the squads would enter national development camps in July.
Netball Australia describes the championships as a proven launching pad for stars of the game, with many athletes, coaches, umpires and officials going on to Suncorp Super Netball and Australian Diamonds level.
Netball Australia says that in July the 17/U and 19/U national squads enter national development camps designed to foster athlete growth. The camps include skills-based court sessions, fitness testing, match play, and education on high performance behaviours and cultural literacy.
Netball Australia describes the squads as representing a key step in the national talent pathway.
Netball Australia selects the national squads. In 2026 its selection panel included Head of Pathway Selections Michelle Wilkins, Pathway Head Coach Anita Keelan AM and Kristy Keppich-Birrell, with two additional panellists for each age group.
Under Netball Australia's Athlete Selection Policy (HP003, effective 1 April 2025), the selectors for the 19/Under and 17/Under programs are the National Coach (chair), the Pathway Head Coach and the EGM Netball or delegate/s. Selectors may use one or more of these criteria: previous and current international and national performances, current or previous skill and physical fitness, any current or potential injury or condition that may impair performance, team composition and balance (including position coverage), positions identified as critically important at the national level for the Pathway, and other factors the selectors consider important. The policy lists the National Netball Championships among the events at which selection may be made.
Netball Australia's Athlete Selection Policy (HP003, effective 1 April 2025) says the selection panel's decision is final and the reason for selection is not required as part of the selection process. Final selection decisions rest with the appointed chair of the panel.
The policy also sets out a Selection Appeal process. A non-selected athlete may appeal against non-selection to a National Program (which the policy says includes the 19/U and 17/U Pathways squads), but only for a program that has been formally selected under the policy's clauses 2 and 3. Before an appeal can start, within 24 hours of receiving notice of non-selection the athlete must give written notice to the Netball Australia CEO that they dispute it, with reasons. The CEO must then provide a written statement of Netball Australia's reasons within 24 hours, and the athlete has a further 24 hours to say whether they intend to proceed to a hearing.
Netball Australia's Athlete Selection Policy (HP003, effective 1 April 2025) says successful and unsuccessful athletes may be told the outcome before the public announcement, no earlier than 24 hours before it, and subject to strict confidentiality obligations so that each player can receive wellbeing support. It also says wellbeing support will be made available to all squad athletes by Netball Australia as required.
The policy says the number of Pathway squad, team and camp selections is decided from year to year at the discretion of the Netball Australia "EGM Netball" (the person holding that position at Netball Australia).