The West Melton team was formed by friends Brax, Kaiden, Reid, Kade, Finn, Ollie and Franklin after two of the boys played last year and “loved it”.
Parent-coach Hannah Helm, who has played netball since she was five, looked forward to coaching her kids until her sons chose to play rugby.
However, last year Helm asked her youngest son Reid if he wanted to give netball a go. He agreed to – as long as he could play with a friend.
“This year, Reid said he would only play if I got all his friends to play. It didn’t take much convincing, and the Westie Wekas were formed,” Helm said.
The seven boys play on Monday nights at the Selwyn Sports Centre in the year 3 and 4 FutureFerns grade, a 5-a-side format consisting of eight-minute quarters.
West Melton boasts a further seven male players alongside the Westie Wekas. The club has experienced significant growth in boys playing in the last few years, with 14 this season compared to just one three years ago.
The Westie Wekas enjoy all aspects of the game, particularly shooting and gaining intercepts.
Helm believes netball is a great sport for boys because of how it teaches them “the art of the pass”.
“Most typical boys sports like basketball, rugby and soccer, they get the ball, run and score. In netball, they have to pass and it teaches them the beauty of utilising all team members.”
The FutureFerns programme was implemented by Netball New Zealand to maximise participation and make it easier for younger players to get possession of the ball.
The 5-a-side game turns into 6-a-side at year 5 and 6 level before the traditional rules are played at year 7 and 8.
