Written by Amelia Barnes
When he isn’t teaching French at Frankston High School, Chris Sutcliffe can usually be found on the netball court coordinating the school’s popular netball program.
Sutcliffe was first introduced to netball as a parent when his daughter’s team required a coach. It was the same situation when he started teaching at Frankston High - the students needed a coach, so Sutcliffe put his hand up to help.
Sutcliffe's dedication has been recognised by Netball Victoria, naming him Teacher of the Year at the 2022 Community Awards.
As Frankston High’s netball coordinator, Sutcliffe organises the school’s netball training programs and participation in the after school competition hosted by Frankston & District Netball Association at Jubilee Park.
In the most recent winter season, the school had 11 teams playing in the competition made up of students from years seven through to 12.
Many of these students already play netball in Saturday tournaments, but they choose to represent Frankston High in the after school competition due to Sutcliffe’s passion for the sport.
Frankston & District Netball Association’s umpire coordinator Raeleen Darcy says, “During the past two COVID years, Chris pretty much kept our competition running with Frankston High School teams.”
“He spends his Friday evenings here at the Frankston outdoor courts and has a great rapport with the other school teams.”
Darcy says Sutcliffe is a wonderful asset to Frankston High School as well as the Frankston & District Netball Association. “Honestly, every club should have a Chris.”
Building netball participation at Frankston High starts on year seven orientation day where Sutcliffe recruits interested students to start training. Both boys and girls are invited to join, with male participation in playing, coaching, and umpiring increasing in recent years.
Training takes place at the Semper Squad - a before school program that allows students to train in a range of sports with specialist coaches. (The squad’s name is a reference to the school’s motto, ‘optima semper,’ meaning ‘best always.’)
Semper Squad also provides an opportunity for year nine and 10 students to coach their year seven and eight peers, which Sutcliffe said builds the culture of the program.
Sutcliffe is pleased to see the interest and opportunities, particularly in women’s sport, continuing to grow and is proud to support its development as a teacher.
“When I was little, girls were pretty much left out of competitive sport, which I don’t understand,” he said. “Having a daughter, it’s really important for me that women are not just included, but they are equal if not better.”
Sutcliffe also appreciates meeting students he otherwise wouldn’t cross paths in his role as netball coordinator.
“I've probably learned as much from our players in all sports, if not more, than they've learned from me,” he said.
Being the school’s netball coordinator adds hours to Sutcliffe’s job every week - including early starts on Wednesday mornings and late finishes on Friday nights - but he said it’s all worth it to see the students on court.
“If I have to put in four or five hours a week to get 100 kids playing netball, it's nothing,” he said. “It's not unrewarded in terms of recognition, support from the administration, and the other staff, so it's worth doing.”
The Teacher of the Year Award is supported by Deakin University
