19/12/2025
๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐
๐ข๐ฃ๐ข ๐๐๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฑ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ - ๐
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Twenty-one years ago, menโs netball in Fiji was quiet. It existed on borrowed courts and borrowed belief, carried by players who loved the game but were rarely taken seriously. There was no funding line, no clear pathway, and little visibility. What sustained the sport was courage, community, and a refusal to let it fade.
That silence is gone.
The 2025 FMMNA National Championships marked a clear moment in the sportโs evolution. Not just a competition, but a statement of intent. Menโs and mixed netball in Fiji is confident, competitive, and grounded in purpose.
At the foundation of this journey is the late Adi Alisi Toganivalu Tabete, former President of Netball Fiji. Alongside the late Alini Sovu, she played a defining role in forming FMMNA at a time when menโs netball was questioned and often dismissed. Their leadership created space where none existed and gave the sport legitimacy to grow.
The Tabete Shield remains a powerful symbol of that vision. Fiercely contested each year, it represents leadership, inclusion, and responsibility. Districts fight for it not only for prestige, but for what it stands for. Legacy.
This year also introduced the Ratu Marika Toroca Logavatu Shield for the overall champions. Ratu Marika, known as Tuma, was a respected teammate and a dominant holding shooter whose presence shaped many players. The Logavatu familyโs decision to gift the shield and prize money anchored the championships in memory and gratitude, reinforcing that people remain at the heart of the sport.
On court, the growth was clear. Five grades competed Under 19 Men, Under 23 Men, Open Men, Open Mixed, and Mixed Masters. 30 teams in total.
The Under 19 grade, introduced in 2023 as a deliberate investment in youth development, delivered one of the tournamentโs most compelling finals. Young players competed with composure and intensity, many appearing in their first national final. Nadi taking the trophy from Suva after its two years in the Capital. A testament to the development Nadi is doing in menโs netball.
The Open Mixed grade brought a different intensity. Women and men shared the court as equals, demanding speed, trust, and precision. Nasinu dominated the grade with structure and control, with current Fiji Pearls clearly standing out through their composure and court awareness, lifting the standard of play across the competition.
The Open Menโs grade carried its own narrative. Suva continued its dominance in the grade, a run that has held since 2013 when Lautoka last lifted the Tabete Shield after a clean sweep of all grades. This year demanded a different approach. With much of Suvaโs former core now competing for Nasinu, Suva was forced to outthink players they knew well. Their ability to adapt, manage tempo, and execute tactically under pressure secured a convincing win. More telling than the results was the standard of play. Faster transitions, stronger physical contests, and improved tactical awareness. The sport has matured.
Suva emerged as overall champions, winning two of the five grades and becoming the inaugural holders of the Ratu Marika Toroca Logavatu Shield.
This progress aligns with global shifts. World Netball has formally recognized menโs netball as an international discipline. A Menโs Netball World Cup is now established, with the next edition to be hosted in Australia. Discussions around inclusion in major multi sport events, including the Olympic movement, are active and ongoing. Fiji is positioning itself within that future.
Growth, however, has not come with financial security.
FMMNA has no guaranteed source of income. There is no standing funding stream or commercial base. The association operates through partnerships. It survives through partnerships. Every championship, development pathway, and advocacy effort exists because partners choose to invest in the community and the values the sport represents.
That reality was most visible under the banner.
Using its national stage, FMMNA addressed rising HIV cases, particularly among young people and key populations. Through partnerships with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services - Fiji, the Reproductive & Family Health Association of Fiji - RFHAF Reproductive and Family Health Association of Fiji, and Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network - PSGDN, point of care HIV testing and peer education were available at the venue.
For many players and supporters, this was their first time accessing testing in a space that felt familiar and free of judgement. Sport became an entry point for care and responsibility.
FMMNA President Myron Williams, now in his third year and entering the final year of his term, says the work is driven by commitment rather than resources.
โMenโs and mixed netball in Fiji has reached this point because partners chose to invest in people, not just a tournament,โ Williams said. โWe are deeply grateful for that funding and support. It gives us the space to compete safely, to lead on issues like HIV, and to build a future that is structured, inclusive, and unapologetically ambitious. This is more than a sport. It is identity, it is family, it is community. It is us.โ
With active districts including Suva, Lautoka, Tailevu, Nasinu, Naitasiri, Nadi, and Savusavu, the focus is controlled growth and stronger pathways.
Looking ahead, FMMNA plans to expand in 2026 by delivering two separate national events, a Mixed Netball Nationals and a Menโs Netball Nationals.
Twenty-one years on, the vision of Adi Alisi Toganivalu Tabete is firmly embedded in the sport. Menโs and mixed netball in Fiji is no longer emerging.
It is established, intentional, and moving forward.
๐๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ:
โข Open Men (๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ) - ๐๐๐๐
โข Open Mix (๐๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ค๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ) - ๐๐๐๐๐๐
โข U23 Men - ๐๐๐๐
โข U19 (๐๐บ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ข๐ฎ๐ด ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐บ) - ๐๐๐๐
โข Mix Masters (๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ท๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ) - ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
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