The Illawarra District Netball Association, which will celebrate its 80^th anniversary on Saturday, began from humble beginnings as a place for locals to play a completely different game - women's basketball.

Fast forward to 2022 and netball is one of the biggest participation sports in the region, with the association boasting close to 2500 players of all ages who play each weekend in Berkeley.

It's a growth that makes association president Peiti Haines smile, but she also knows it's important to acknowledge the past.

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"It started out as women's basketball until netball became a sport in its own right. The rules have changed dramatically, the intensity has changed significantly, and the player pathways and opportunities have grown immensely," Haines said.

"And in our 80th year, we had our first representative men's team. So to go from women's basketball to having a men's netball team is a big transition over 80 years."

Another huge change for the IDNA since the early 1940s has been the progression of netball courts. From playing on grass, netballers now get a chance to play on first-class facilities in Berkeley.

"We're in the middle of a redevelopment project, so gone are the days on playing on grass courts," Haines said.

"It possibly resembled more of a cow paddock originally than the smooth surface that we play on today. And even the acknowledgement happened that asphalt is probably not the best surface either, so the technology for court surfaces has improved too. Once we have our new development, it will be similar to a tennis court finish, so it will have a bit more give and flex in it, on top of the asphalt."

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The Illawarra District Netball Association will toast its 80^th anniversary with a dinner at Collegians on Saturday night. Close to 150 people are expected to attend.

"From my own personal journey, I left hospital and was taken to the netball courts by my mum. So to be in a position to celebrate these 80 years - especially after the last couple of years we've had [due to COVID] - is special," Haines said.

"Our challenges are different, we're now in competition with other sports that have branched out into that female sports base. But we're committed to providing a really quality product for our players. It's really an honour to be part of the Illawarra association at this time, especially knowing the hard work and effort that's gone in by so many people to get us to this point."

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