As the Fiji Pearls prepares for the XVII Pacific Games, Netball Fiji will host a training match series which is an opportunity to test players and team strategies.
Netball Fiji, with the support of the Australian Government through the PacificAus Sports Partnership and Netball Australia, will host the Quad Training Series from the 11th to the 14th of October at the Vodafone Arena.
Netball Fiji has invited two teams from Australia: the IMB South Coast Blaze and the Sunshine Coast Thunder to be part of the Quad training series.
The two teams will both be led by former Fiji Pearls players Simone Nalatu who will be coaching Sunshine Coast Thunder, and Marji Parr head coach of South Coast Blaze.
The Series will be a round robin format where Blaze will play against the Fiji Pearls National Squad – playing as Fiji Black and Fiji Blue.
The preparation campaign will provide the Fiji Pearls high level match play and the opportunity for final team selection leading into the XVII Pacific Games.
Blaze coach Marji Parr says the Quad Series will get their players the opportunity to work with some international players and coaching staff whilst enjoying the Fijian environment and culture during the international week of Fiji Day.
She says the experience will offer Blaze players a unique development experience in an international high performance sporting environment.
Blaze Co-captain of the tour group Abbey McFadden says she was really looking forward to participating at the Quad Series.
She says it’s such a wonderful opportunity that doesn’t come around every day, and to send Blaze across to Fiji to participate in this tournament is really a once in a lifetime experience.
Netball Fiji CEO Vivian Koster says that this training match will be crucial for the Fiji Pearls ahead of the Pacific Games.
She adds it is also a wonderful opportunity to partner with the Blaze and Thunder in what they hope will be a regular occurrence of having Australian teams play in Fiji.
