Eager to find a netball home, Sebastian Evans and his family discovered Armstrong Creek Sharks in the Geelong Junior Netball competition just west of Geelong.
“We managed to get into Armstrong Creek Sharks where Sebastian plays. He’s one of a handful of boys that plays in the league down there, and he absolutely loves playing netball,” said Sebastian’s father Steven.
Knowing his son had gotten a taste for netball at school, Steven was keen to find a team for him join so he could pursue netball and stay active.
“Seb’s been playing netball there for about three months. It was difficult trying to get him into sports, so when he found a sport that he liked, as parents we wanted him to do something that he enjoyed.”
Since joining the club Seb hasn’t looked back, thriving in the netball environment and immersing himself in the tactical side of the game.
“He loves the teamwork part of it, the positioning, and he finds that his strengths personally fit more to netball than other sports such as basketball or soccer. He listens well at training, he loves absorbing the tactics,” Steven said.
“He’s just turned 12 and he’s already 160cm tall, he’s a great asset to the team. But the main thing is that he enjoys the sport, being able to get out and run around, learning the tactics and the teamwork involved and enjoying the sport with his friends.”
Armstrong Creek Sharks has been nothing but welcoming and inclusive for Seb, the 12-year-old not fazed by being the lone male.
“The club is fantastic – from being the only boy in the competition at the start, he’s been welcomed and engaged with everything, he’s made to feel totally included.”
With Seb loving every minute of netball, his father Steven is hopeful more boys in the region will connect with the sport and see how the skills can be translated across multiple opportunities with Geelong Central Netball Association hosting a come and try day for boys in the upcoming school holidays.
“It would be great to get a lot more boys involved in the Geelong area. It’s really a great club to be at down at Armstrong Creek.”
With training on Monday nights and games on Friday nights, the Evans family spend a lot of time down at the courts with youngest son Albi also attending games – albeit on the sidelines for now.
“All the parents join in and help out with refreshments or with scoring. It’s definitely a family affair with all the teams, and while we have the coaches it definitely does take the parents to help out as well.”
Netball Victoria is continually looking for ways to make netball more accessible to participants in areas of growth, through updating facilities and ensuring that all young people have equal opportunities to get involved in the sport.
