The North Companions Football Club has expanded its reach into the world of netball after welcoming on board three teams for the upcoming Tamworth Netball Association season.

Hayley Adams – daughter of North Companions life member Chris – was the one to put the idea forward to the club’s committee.

”The committee thought it was a great idea. We immediately accepted her offer,” North Companions vice president Wayne Clarke said.

The netball teams will play under the North Companions flag alongside the 47 soccer teams at the club.

Clarke said a longer term goal now was to grow the netball side of the club.

“They’re now a part of our club and we’re hoping, in the mid to long term, some younger girls in the club might want to form a team,” he said.

“There will be families with one or two boys who want to play soccer but there might be daughters that want to play netball. In the next couple of years we might have an under 6s or an under 9s side for those girls.”

Another long term goal is to provide the club’s netballers with training facilities at Northies’ Marius Street home ground.

For now, the netball teams are focused on round one of the Tamworth Netball Association Saturday winter competition which kicks off this weekend.

2018 Local Woman of the Year for the Tamworth electorate Yvonne Kent will open the season with a Welcome to Country at 11.45am.

This will take place in front of the temporary Lockwood Room near the outside courts.

TNA will have a pop up shop selling all types of TNA gear on the day.

Tamworth Netball Association will then hold a representative carnival on Sunday with teams from all around the region competing.

TNA advised that there is a basketball carnival on the weekend and people are advised to allow extra time for parking.