Written by Amelia Barnes
Marg Morgan started playing netball in 1966 on a grass court in front of a house in Timboon, western Victoria (about 50 kilometres east of Warrnambool).
Close to 60 years later, she’s still heavily involved in the sport throughout the region, and was recently awarded a Netball Victoria Life Membership.
Like many netball players, Morgan became involved in the administration, umpiring, and coaching side of the game out of necessity. The community was short on umpires, so Morgan put up her hand.
“My junior coach somehow imparted a sense of giving back and being involved,” said Morgan. “We all went on to be umpires, coaches, administrators and things like that.”
Morgan commenced umpiring in 1975 back when there was no payment or development opportunities for umpires. “There was no one around for support or knowledge to help… You did it because you loved it and you wanted to learn and get better.”
She invested in her own umpire development by travelling to other areas for guidance, eventually attaining her C and B badges. Ever since, Morgan has helped develop and support umpires in Terang and surrounding towns. “You don't want people to go through the struggles that you had,” she said.
Throughout this period, Morgan became president of Terang & District Netball Association, where she remained on the committee for over 25 years.
One of her proudest achievements on the committee was spearheading the development of new courts and facilities in Terang. At the time, Terang & District Netball Association was playing in the town’s civic hall (“Which was only a three-quarter sized court with about 15 inches around the sidelines and a stage at the end”), and just prior to that, in an old butter factory on tiled floors.
“We instigated a meeting with our local member and supported the process,” Morgan said. “From that, Terang got two courts and multipurpose facilities for all of our sports.”
Morgan began coaching in 1980, once again due to a lack of volunteers in the area. She coached several football/netball league teams in the 1980s and became involved in Western region netball (one of 19 netball regions across the state) from 1986.
Morgan describes the Western region back then as the “minnows” who lacked skilled coaches and opportunities. “We had people that had passion and things like that, and everybody was doing the absolute best that we could for each other… but the way we have progressed that now allows us to help and develop people is one of the great things,” Morgan said.
She helped recruit coaching and umpiring coordinators and ran school holiday programs to make the region more competitive in Country Cup and State Championships.
Morgan has held many titles in the Western region over the decades, including coach, secretary, state councillor, treasurer, and later Western Academy team manager.
She’s been the region’s state titles officer (previously known as regional liaison officer) since 2000, responsible for organising the region’s coaches, umpires, players, selections, and travel arrangements for the annual State Titles.
In addition to being the Western state titles officer, Morgan has been a netball administrator for Warrnambool City Netball Association for the past nine years.
Since 2015, she’s also been the coach of the association’s All Abilities program, which provides the chance for people with a physical or intellectual disability to participate in netball.
Warrnambool has offered a version of the All Abilities program for 45 years, and has three current players now in their 50s and 60s who have been there since its inception. “I love their enthusiasm and their ability to challenge themselves,” said Morgan of the All Abilities team. "We have so much fun together.”
Morgan says she was “stunned” when Netball Victoria president Carol Cathcart called to say she’d become a Netball Victoria Life Member. “I remember one tear rolling down my face during the call from Carol and I was almost lost for words. In fact, I think I was,” said Morgan.
“I am sad that my husband Les is not here to be part of this…He was home while I was out netballing every night of the week.”
Netball is Morgan’s passion. To this day, her biggest thrill is seeing the development of participants and watching their achievements through the pathway. “I feel like so many of them are my family.”
To Morgan, it feels only natural to give back to the sport she says has provided her with lifelong friendships and an all-round “fantastic game.”
“I think we owe the sport more than the sport owes us… If we can all walk away improving something in one little way, then we've done something great for our sport,” she said.
“I don’t do this for any reward – I just love what I do.”
Photo thanks to Sean McKenna - Warrnambool Standard
