Written by Amelia Barnes
Former Netball Victoria president Kirrily Zimmerman has been involved in netball as an administrator for 30 years. Recognising her ongoing contribution to the sport, she was one of six women recently awarded a Netball Victoria Life Membership.
Zimmerman first became involved with the administration side of netball at Balwyn Netball Club as a 17-year-old. “Basically, I was pushed into it … My club needed a treasurer, and I was going to be an accountant. It was supposed to look good on my resume and help me get a job,” she said.
In a way, it did – just not the job Zimmerman was expecting. In 2008, she was first elected to the Netball Victoria Board based on her professional expertise as an accountant, paired with her knowledge of grassroots netball earned over two decades.
Zimmerman was also an experienced netball player. She represented Vic Churches at State League level, and Melbourne Uni at Intervarsity where her team won the gold medal.
Zimmerman co-founded Boroondara Netball Association (BNA) in 1996, where she remains the treasurer to this day. There was a clear need for a new association in the area at the time, as indicated by the 38 teams who signed up for the inaugural season, and the fast-growing participation numbers.
BNA quickly established a valuable role in the Netball Victoria pathway through their participation in Association Championships and later the Victorian Netball League (VNL).
BNA is now one of the largest netball associations in the state. Athletes who have played for the association’s Boroondara Express VNL teams include current Melbourne Vixens squad members Kate Eddy, Hannah Mundy and Ruby Barkmeyer; Adelaide Thunderbirds defender Matilda Garrett; Queensland Firebirds midcourter Lara Dunkley; and West Coast Fever goal keeper Rudi Ellis.
While the high performance track record of BNA is impressive, Zimmerman is most proud of the life skills the association helps young people to develop. “I see netball as more than just teams on courts. The best thing we do is provide opportunities for young women to grow,” she said.
“There are a whole host of life skills that can be learned from being part of our community in all sorts of different roles, from umpiring which teaches you to be authoritative and make decisions, to playing in a team which teaches commitment and teamwork.”
In the same year as joining the Netball Victoria Board, Zimmerman also resurrected the then-inactive Chisholm Netball Region, which represents a group of associations in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
“When I started on the Board, Chisholm Region was dormant. BNA had never participated due to netball politics,” said Zimmerman. “I was a little embarrassed going to State Titles as a Board member and my region was absent, so I set about getting Chisholm up and running again.”
As Netball Victoria acquired professional staff, most of the work of the regions was taken in-house, although they remain responsible for selecting teams for the annual State Titles weekend.
“We now have a great committee representing the associations in our region, and select teams each year,” said Zimmerman.
In 2009, following the foundation of the VNL, Kirrily turned to bench officiating (the formal title for a scorer or timekeeper). She advanced to become a Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) bench official, timer at the 2015 Netball World Cup, and a scorer at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Zimmerman worked to make the role of bench official visible and sought after by training others, and highlighting the prestige of participating in world class events. “Being a bench official is a great way to be involved in the game, especially at the elite level, and provides the best seat in the house,” she said.
After 13 years on the Netball Victoria Board, Zimmerman became the organisation’s president in 2021 in the interim 12 months between Richelle McKenzie and Carol Cathcart. Her experience, guidance, and leadership allowed newer Board members to learn the ropes of the organisation and saw Netball Victoria through one of its most challenging periods in history due to COVID.
As Netball Victoria president, Zimmerman helped lead the head office move to the newly-redeveloped Melbourne Sports Centre – Parkville (the State Netball & Hockey Centre), and secured funding for two bronze netball statues of netballers. The first of Sharelle McMahon was unveiled at John Cain Arena in March, and the second, of Victorian netball pioneer Anne Henderson, will be erected at Parkville.
Zimmerman’s ongoing service to netball has been profound. She has grown with the sport and is a strong advocate for the Netball Victoria pathway from grassroots through to elite level.
Zimmerman said it’s an honour to be recognised as a Life Member for contributing to the sport that’s “changed her life.”
“It has taught me amazing life skills and provided me with lifelong friendships from every different area of netball I have been involved in.
“It is an absolute honour to be considered worthy, and then to join the group of other amazing Life Members who have all made significant contributions over a great many years.”
