George gets back in the game

With the first year of Netball New Zealand’s new zone structure on its way, Pukekohe Netball Centre is gearing up for big changes. 

Former Silver Fern and Mystics ‘pocket rocket’, Temepara Bailey (nee George) is teaming up with the Pukekohe centre to assist their local calibre with high performance training during the 2013 netball season.

George, who is a seasoned mid-courter and is well renowned for her long standing netball service, is excited to come back to the roots of her netball career in what will be a mentoring role for Pukekohe’s future netball stars.

“I’m extremely excited to be back involved in the game”, she says.

Having first been selected as a member of the Counties Cometz Franchise team playing in the National Bank Cup, George will be heading back to Counties Manukau to work with the centre’s U15, U17, U19 and U23 representative coaches where she will be targeting and developing players’ individual strengths and weaknesses.  She will be working alongside former Silver Ferns medical team member, Doctor Jude Goulden to promote and execute fitness and nutritional plans to Pukekohe netball centre’s representative players.

“There’s a lot of fresh talent in South Auckland that gets overlooked, so this is a chance for me to give back to the community where I first trained as a member of the Cometz”, says George.

Pukekohe Netball Centre’s spokesperson, Maree Bernasconi is excited about the changes to the centre.
“The new Netball New Zealand zoning structure has enabled us to retain our top rep players to play under the Pukekohe umbrella”, she says.

The centre is choosing to invest in their representative players with new playing uniforms and tracksuits currently being sourced, and with plans underway to build an indoor training facility on the premises.
“We have a lot of talent out here and we need to ensure that, aside from all the changes, we have the players’ best interests at heart”, says Bernasconi.