Auckland Netball Centre: Courts, Programmes and How to Get Involved

The Auckland Netball Centre is the main home of community netball in New Zealand’s largest city. Based at St Johns in east Auckland, it is one of the biggest dedicated netball venues in the country, hosting everything from Saturday-morning junior grades to senior club competition, social leagues, representative trials and indoor netball. This guide explains where the centre is, what facilities it has, how it came to be, and the many ways players, parents, coaches and umpires can get involved.

About the Auckland Netball Centre

The Auckland Netball Centre (ANC) is run by Auckland Netball, the body that organises club, school and social netball across the central Auckland area. The centre is a single large site that combines a bank of outdoor courts with indoor courts and a clubhouse pavilion, so play can continue whatever the weather. On a busy winter Saturday it is one of the most active sporting venues in the region, with hundreds of games running back to back.

It is worth separating two things that are easy to confuse. Auckland Netball is the organisation that administers competitions and development programmes; the Auckland Netball Centre is the venue where most of that activity takes place. If you are more interested in the elite side of the game — the talent squads, representative sides and the professional team feeding into New Zealand’s top league — see our guide to Auckland’s high-performance netball pathway. This article focuses on the centre itself and the everyday, community level of the sport.

Netball is one of New Zealand’s most popular participation sports for women and girls, and the Auckland region has the largest playing population in the country. A single, large, floodlit venue lets the sport run organised grades at scale, keeps travel short for most families, and gives umpires, coaches and administrators a shared base. If you are completely new to the game, it is worth reading up on how to play netball and the seven netball positions before your first session.

Where the centre is and how to get there

The Auckland Netball Centre is located at 7 Allison Ferguson Drive, St Johns, Auckland 1072, on Ngahue Reserve near Stonefields in the city’s eastern suburbs. It sits roughly 15 minutes’ drive from the Auckland CBD and is reachable from the Southern and South-Eastern motorways.

• Parking: The site has more than 800 car parks, which matters on peak Saturdays when thousands of players and spectators pass through.
• Public transport: St Johns and Glen Innes are served by local bus routes and the Glen Innes train station on the Eastern Line is a short distance away, though most families drive.
• Accessibility: The pavilion and public spaces are wheelchair accessible, with catering, toilets and seating on site.

Because the centre hosts many games at once, it is sensible to check your draw for the correct court number before arriving, allow extra time to park during the winter season, and confirm whether your game is scheduled on an indoor or outdoor court.

Courts and facilities

The centre was built as a purpose-designed netball complex rather than a converted multi-sport hall, which is part of why it can run so many grades in parallel. Its facilities include:

• Outdoor courts: A large bank of floodlit outdoor courts for club, school and social grades. Public records from the centre’s development describe a venue planned around roughly 46 outdoor courts, and later honours citations refer to a site of around 56 courts in total — making it one of the largest netball venues in the country.
• Indoor courts: Covered courts used for indoor netball, bad-weather fixtures and development sessions, so a full draw rarely has to be cancelled for rain.
• Pavilion and clubrooms: Administrative offices, meeting space and function areas, plus an on-site kiosk and catering.
• Supporting amenities: Changing and toilet facilities, first-aid provision, spectator areas and on-site parking.

Standard competition is played on full-size courts; if you want to understand the markings and areas that shape play, our explainer on netball court dimensions covers the official measurements. The event spaces at the centre are also hired out for functions, with flexible rooms catering for anywhere from about 20 to 2,000 people.

How the centre came to be

Auckland Netball has a long history. The organisation traces its roots to 1932 and, for decades, was based at courts on Windmill Road in Mt Eden — a site many long-time players still remember. As participation grew, the Windmill Road courts could no longer cope with demand, and Auckland Netball needed a larger, modern home.

The answer was a new, purpose-built centre on Ngahue Reserve. The project — delivered for Auckland Council and Auckland Netball — was a major undertaking worth around $10.1 million, involving significant earthworks, a large bank of outdoor courts, indoor courts, a pavilion and hundreds of car parks. The main pavilion was built around a long curved-span structure, and the complex opened in 2006, with further stages adding courts over time. The centre moved from Mt Eden to its current St Johns location at that point, so Windmill Road is part of the centre’s history rather than a current address.

The access road, Allison Ferguson Drive, is named in recognition of a figure who was a driving force behind establishing the venue — a reminder that large community facilities like this are usually the result of years of volunteer effort as much as council funding.

Competitions and programmes

The main reason the Auckland Netball Centre exists is to run organised netball. Auckland Netball offers programmes across the whole age and ability range, typically following the New Zealand school-term calendar (winter is the main season; summer offers shorter social options). The exact grades and dates change each year, so always confirm details on the official site, but the regular offering includes the following.

Junior netball

Introductory and graded netball for primary-aged children, roughly Years 1 to 6, is the backbone of Saturday mornings. Programmes focus on fun, coordination, basic skills and fair play, easing younger children into the rules before they move into more competitive grades. There are also dedicated Year 7 and 8 competitions and player-development options as children get older.

Club and secondary school competition

During the winter terms the centre runs club winter competition and secondary school competition, where registered club teams and school sides play in graded leagues. This is the main pathway for competitive community players and a feeder for representative selection.

Social and summer netball

For players who want the game without a full club commitment, Auckland Netball runs senior social netball through the winter terms and social summer netball in the warmer terms. Lower-impact options such as walking netball cater to older players or those returning from injury, and the centre has also offered social pickleball as a complementary activity.

Indoor netball

Indoor leagues run on the covered courts across the week, giving adults and teams a fast, year-round format that is less affected by weather. Indoor netball is slightly different in pace and tactics from the outdoor game, which some players enjoy as a change of scene.

Boys and inclusive netball

Netball is often thought of as a women’s and girls’ sport, but the centre also runs boys’ netball grades and inclusive programmes aimed at widening participation. Mixed and boys’ netball is a growing part of the game in New Zealand.

Umpiring, coaching and officials

A venue running hundreds of games needs a small army of umpires, coaches and volunteers. Auckland Netball offers umpire courses and an umpiring pathway, coaching resources and junior coaching workshops, and regularly runs sessions on current rule changes so officials stay up to date. Taking a beginner umpire course is one of the easiest ways for parents and older players to contribute, and umpiring deepens your understanding of the rules quickly. If you want a refresher on timing and structure, see our note on how long a netball game lasts.

Representative netball and pathways

Beyond club and social play, the centre is a base for representative netball — talented players selected into Auckland representative squads who compete against other centres. Representative netball is the first rung of a wider pathway that, at its highest level, feeds the region’s professional teams. Auckland sits within the northern netball zone, home to franchises such as the Northern Mystics and the Northern Stars, who play in New Zealand’s elite league. Very few community players reach that level, but the grassroots structure the centre supports is where that journey begins. The whole system sits under Netball New Zealand, the sport’s national governing body.

Events, catering and venue hire

The Auckland Netball Centre is not used only for netball. Its pavilion and function spaces are available for hire through an on-site events and catering operation, hosting meetings, corporate functions, birthday and Christmas parties, school balls and similar events. The venue holds a liquor licence and offers in-house catering, audio-visual equipment and ample parking, with spaces that scale from small meetings to large functions. Hiring the venue is also a way the centre generates revenue that helps keep community netball running.

Who the centre suits and how to get started

The Auckland Netball Centre suits a wide range of people: parents enrolling children in their first netball season, teenagers playing for a school or club, adults wanting a social weeknight game, returning players after a break, and would-be umpires or coaches looking to give back. To get started:

• Find or form a team. Most players register through a club or school; the centre and its clubs can help new players find a team, or you can enter a team directly into a social grade.
• Register online. Auckland Netball uses an online registration system, and there is a game-day app for draws and results.
• Check the season. Winter is the main competition season; summer and social options run at other times. Confirm start dates and grading early, as popular grades fill up.
• Get the right gear. You mainly need court shoes, a water bottle and appropriate clothing; team bibs and balls are usually supplied by clubs. Our wider site covers equipment and apparel if you are kitting out from scratch.

A common mistake for newcomers is turning up to the wrong court or on the wrong day, so double-check your draw. Another is underestimating how physical even social netball is — a basic warm-up and proper footwear go a long way toward avoiding ankle and knee niggles, which are the most common netball injuries.

For official draws, registration and the most current programme and contact details, visit the Auckland Netball Centre website, as grades, dates and fees are set fresh each season.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Auckland Netball Centre?

The centre is at 7 Allison Ferguson Drive, St Johns, Auckland 1072, on Ngahue Reserve in the city’s eastern suburbs, about 15 minutes from the CBD. It has more than 800 car parks on site. An older Windmill Road site in Mt Eden was the organisation’s home until the move to St Johns in 2006.

How many courts does the Auckland Netball Centre have?

It is one of New Zealand’s largest netball venues, with a big bank of floodlit outdoor courts plus indoor courts. Development records describe a site planned around roughly 46 outdoor courts, and honours citations refer to a venue of around 56 courts in total. Exact current numbers are best confirmed with the centre directly.

Who can play netball at the centre?

Almost anyone. Auckland Netball runs junior grades from about Year 1, secondary school and club competition, senior and summer social netball, walking netball, indoor netball and boys’ and inclusive grades. There are options for complete beginners through to experienced competitive players.

How do I register to play?

Most players register through a club or school using Auckland Netball’s online system, and the centre can help new players find a team or enter a social grade. Winter is the main season, so it is best to sort registration and grading before the season starts.

Can the venue be hired for events?

Yes. The pavilion and function spaces are hired out through an on-site events and catering service for meetings, corporate functions, parties and school balls, with in-house catering, a liquor licence, audio-visual equipment and parking, catering for small groups up to large functions.