Netball Victoria CEO and Inclusion Australia board member Andrea Pearman talks about the importance of Harmony Week and the role our sport plays in bringing people from all walks of life together.
Why are you so passionate about inclusion?
We all have the right to feel safe, welcomed, protected and respected but that’s not always the lived experience of people in our community. We are very quick to find out what is different about each other but not so good at actually finding those things that are common.
Sport on the other hand is very good at bringing people together. Netball in particular has always been very good at creating a safe place where people from all walks of life can belong and come together to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of team sport.
Why is diversity important to netball:
“If you are alienating a portion of the population then you are losing out on opportunities to grow your game – it’s the same if you want to grow your business. If we can create the right culture where anybody can participate in netball and feel safe and welcomed, then we are growing our game while also helping build strong, inclusive communities that we all benefit from.
Is Victorian netball truly diverse?
There’s still work to be done if we are to be truly representative of Victoria’s hyper-diverse community, particularly with bringing more cultural and racially diverse participants to our game. While we have doubled the participation rate among First Nations peoples, multicultural participation grew 38% last year and we are working hard to encourage LGBTI and all abilities participation, we are not quite there yet.
What about the growth in the men’s game?
It’s not about having equal numbers of men and boys but about making sure that anyone who wants to play our game can, while we also maintain a really strong and rich culture for women. Netball should be proud of the role it continues to play for women - that is our superpower.
Harmony Week
Harmony week is a great opportunity to celebrate the incredible diversity of Victorian netball, as well as the wider community. It is an opportunity to pause, reflect and learn more about each other. I’m always amazed at how events like this can spark rich conversations where you learn so much more about the people you work or play netball with.
More info on Harmony week:
