Sports uniforms have been a talking point during an Olympic Games in which we saw the Australian Opals revert to retro bodysuits, and female beach volleyballers from all countries squeezed - sometimes reluctantly, and surely questionably - into skimpy bikinis.
For the young netballers of the 1970s, 80s and even beyond, uniforms were not so much comment-worthy as, well, pretty uniform. That is, polo shirts tucked into pleated skirts. The heavy black Dunlops in which feet burned on hot asphalt were optional, but, for some of us, fluid intake at quarter breaks limited in case it brought on the dreaded stitch.
Mercifully, how things have changed. In so many ways, including acknowledging the importance of fluid intake and the comfort of lighter, friendlier footwear. And while sleeker, sleeveless dresses have long taken over as the preferred clothing option, shorts, leggings and the like are also increasingly common.
Freedom of uniform choice at community sport level has long been encouraged by Netball Victoria, and not just for teams, but the individuals within them. Yet, given the variations in interpretation, the state’s governing body is now going a step further.
“Our sample bylaws, which we recommend Affiliates adopt, do allow choice, and it’s always been our position to have choice; I guess some people see those and interpret them differently than we intended,’’ says Amanda Basu, NV’s General Manager - Government Relations and Affiliate Services.
“So we are now going to hone those sample bylaws and try to make it very, very clear that choice is the best option, and that includes the design of the uniform from within the same team.''
Which does not mean that associations will be forced into anything, although there is a small but growing group who have amended their own bylaws in the past 12 months. Take Bendigo’s Golden City, for example, where change was made last year, and shorts are now being worn in the 2021 season. Horsham District Football Netball League is also well on the way to be ready for 2022.
“We want our game to be the most inclusive game out there, so the freedom of choice for individuals to play in something they’re comfortable in just opens up our game to such a bigger audience and also helps with the retention of girls and boys who might walk away from the sport because they don’t feel comfortable,’’ says Basu.
“We do have a number of clubs already who have worked with their association and they’ve changed their uniform, which has, predominantly, been the dress. Certainly the Brunswick Birdies have had the option of shorts for, I reckon, five to 10 years.
“We obviously have cultural requirements, as well, so we’ve got people competing in the hijab, which is a variation on the uniform to meet the needs of the individual, makes them feel comfortable, but we’ve certainly seen a swell of associations on the back of research and the feedback they’re getting from their communities that are starting to be more flexible with their bylaws and changing from a mandated dress to and opening it up to other items.’’
Which sounds just as logical as the wedding parties in which the bridesmaids no longer wear the same style, for what works for one is not necessarily the right thing for another. And just as one size does not fit all, different levels of netball also allow for greater flexibility.
“Certainly at Parkville we have different grades of competition, and the ones that are much more social are the ones more likely to be rocking up in black t-shirts, like ‘that’s our club uniform’,’’ says Basu.
“But, for some, there’s also a real passion to wear the dress. So it’s not about saying ‘ok, we’re all gonna wear shorts now; it’s making the choice available to the individual. And if you think about it, where you have a mixed team, not everybody's wearing a dress, already.
“So it's really an extension of that, and it does make the game more welcoming for boys and men, as well, if there’s an option, as opposed to what are we gonna do about this boy who wants to play in a team where we all wear dresses?’.
“Or it might be a transgender player, so it’s certainly opening people’s eyes to thinking ‘well, we’ve got a real opportunity here to widen the reach of who we cater for in netball by doing that’.’’
On a personal level, Basu’s 10-year-old daughter is a netballer whose suburban club is surveying members on the back of results gleaned from research funded by the Victorian Government’s Change Our Game initiative. Mock-up uniform options are being circulated, prompting some interesting discussions among parents remembering their own playing days.
“Some of the parents who hadn’t thought about it then sit back and have reflected ‘I had a problem when I was playing, because I had the biggest boobs in the world, and the outfit didn’t fit’, another went home and talked to their daughter, who says ‘yeah, I’d much rather play in shorts’,'' says Basu.
"So these conversations are fantastic, because it’s bringing everything to the fore. It's 'let’s be proactive and go out there and make it more welcoming and comfortable for everyone to play'.’’
Written by Linda Pearce
