Founders determined to take Fire5 global after success of inaugural tournament
Former Diamonds stars Gretel Bueta and Maria Folau are ready to take on the world with their Fire5 netball concept after the success of the inaugural tournament on the Gold Coast.
Former international stars Gretel Bueta and Maria Folau are determined to take their short-format netball tournament to the world after a successful debut on the Gold Coast at the weekend.
An original take on the short format game, Fire5 netball had all the razzle-dazzle, off-court entertainment and lively play of any Fast5 tournament.
But take a closer look under the hood and the event found a template for future success with its mix of major event professionalism - think big prizemoney, top players and great facilities - and player opportunity.
Phoenix, a team including Folau’s former New Zealand Silver Ferns teammates Laura Langman, Casey Kopua, Cat Tuivaiti and Katrina Rore, were unsurprising winners, although they faced a stern test in the semi-final against Glow - an outfit including former Firebirds Demelza Fellowes and Katie Walker - and the final against the Comets, who featured former Diamond Gabi Simpson and Silver Fern Erena Mikaere.
But while plenty in the crowd turned out to watch the big names, they were just as wowed by the rising stars.
Folau and Bueta had hoped the tournament would provide exposure to unknown players, perhaps those that had missed a state league contract or were on the cusp of a Super Netball team’s training partner list or reserves pathway.
It was easy to talk up ahead of the event but also the way it played out in real time.
“There were players that were out there, I said to Gretel: ‘Who is she?’ We never would have seen her,” Folau said.
“And that’s what Fire5 is, it’s exposing them to the world. It’s streamed live and it was just really cool to see the talent that there is here in Australia and New Zealand and Dubai, and that these kids are hidden and that they get to be exposed.”
Those players included tournament MVP Mia van Wyk, a member of the Mavericks reserves squad who was outstanding for the Embers.
“I could think of five names at the top of my list of up-and-coming superstars,” Bueta said of players she had seen over the weekend.
“And what better way to expose yourself than being surrounded by (former top players) ... they were just nurtured by the older girls - and you could see that on court.”
Folau became emotional when thanking fellow “fossils” Langman and Kopua - who she played alongside to win the 2019 World Cup for New Zealand - for backing the inaugural Fire5.
“Ria (Folau) and Gretel are very special players in both the New Zealand and Australian scene and we wanted to be here to support them,” Langman said.
“This is what netball’s about, showcasing the young talent coming through. It’s really exciting, and it’s got a really cool vibe and I hope it goes global.”
With World Netball having parked its Fast5 world championship for the foreseeable future as it looks to make the World Cup a biennial event, there’s a gap in the market and with Folau’s connections in New Zealand and Bueta’s in the US and Malaysia, international Fire5 is more likely than not.
“We’ve just been working so hard on creating this vision in our heads, and then it’s come to life this weekend, and we’re stoked,” Bueta said.
“Stay tuned” is the official word on the next tournament - but it seems certain it’s not far off.
“That is the goal, that’s our aim,” Folau said of taking the tournament global.
“The world’s our oyster. We can do whatever we want.”
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Originally published as Founders determined to take Fire5 global after success of inaugural tournament
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