Active Netball Sri Lanka Giveback Tour

Active Netball test themselves against the best in Sri Lanka while spreading their love for netball far and wide.

March 24^th, 2024

WELCOME TO COLOMBO

The girls landed late Saturday night to a warm welcome from the Twedex team. It was a quick check-in and straight to bed, ready for an active first day in the city.

MORNING YOGA

A great start to game day 1 with a refreshing yoga class. Our instructor Donisha is an ex-netball player and took the girls through a body activation session themed on the movements and skill patterns used in the game.

gAME #1

We were welcomed by Buddhist Ladies Colombo, Thissa Vidyalaya & Anula Vidyalaya for a friendly introduction to Sri Lankan netball. Our tourists forced the very best from their local opponents but they were just too strong for the Sri Lankans. It was a fantastic start to the tour with thank-you gifts exchanged and a feel-good undertone throughout.

NO NETBALL, NO PROBLEM…

This morning the group visited an underprivileged local school, where they repaired the gym roof and gave the walls a fresh lick of paint. Outside, the girls marked a netball court for the local teenagers and donated Active Netball balls and dresses to the school. Their hosts were incredibly grateful and very excited to learn the game and begin competing in the dresses.

GAME #2

Our second day of matches brought new opposition in a spectacular 1000-seater stadium. Sugathadasa was home to three more victories vs more physical opposition in the form of St Bridget’s, ACM and Piryaragatha Ladies College. Opposition coaches said “it is wonderful for our girls to see netball played so fast by girls their age”. The Sri Lankan national team even watched on for the final hour as they warmed up for a training session. Well done girls!

Q&A WITH A WORLD CUP STAR

After an eagerly anticipated dip in the pool under the Colombo sunset, the girls got set for dinner with Chathurangi Jayasooriya - the recently retired Sri Lanka netball captain. The girls fired their finest questions at her and, true to character, she humbly wowed the crowd with her responses and capped off a great evening by revealing she will be participating at this years Dubai Sevens festival for the first time in her career!

TOURNAMENT DAY

As part of their giveback programme, Active Netball hosted a tournament at the impressive Sugathadasa Stadium where they played against Gateway, Kolonnawa, Sirimavo and Devi Balika Ladies Colleges. The challenge was a step up from Gameday 1 & 2 and the girls were pushed to the wire in several games. A highlight of the day was the mixed team competition where EPP players lined up alongside our local guests. Active Netball treated their guests to lunch and the added surprise of our friends from Moratuwa school coming along to support was the icing on the cake in a very memorable day.

An Amazing Day at Vijaybahu School

After a drive down to the southern province the group delivered stationary, books, netballs and netball posts to a primary school in Hikkaduwa. The girls broke into teams to paint desks and chairs, measure and line a netball court and paint a classroom. We were treated to a traditional Sri Lankan lunch wrapped in a banana leaf accompanied by a king coconut. Another incredibly eye opening and rewarding day.

Traditional Dance Show

Our hotel provided a private dance show for the group in the lobby that included acrobats, traditional masks and fire eating..!

MAKING MEMORIES

Wow! What a final day! After a relaxing morning at the pool, the girls hopped in a Tuktuk for a for a quick coffee stop. The group then hot-footed down to Galle for a really fun surf lesson where they wowed their instructors!

On to Lady Hill hotel for a lunch with panoramic views of the city. Next up, was Ahangalla turtle sanctuary to see the 3-day old turtles and their friends. The girls made a stop for souvenir shopping and raided the elephant pants, before the journey to our final destination, Pegasus Reef for dinner and awards.