When you receive an award for being an inclusive champion there’s one thing to do – celebrate with your community.
That’s exactly what Dandenong and District Netball Association did with the $500 prize they received for being named Inclusive Netball Community of the Year in the 2018 Netball Victoria Community Awards.
Dubbed the Netball Fun Day, the association took the opportunity to encourage current, new or potential players to come along and join in the activities.
The day included netball clinics and skills sessions, a free sausage sizzle and a meet and greet from Melbourne Vixens star, Mwai Kumwenda.
“We wanted to promote our Saturday competition clubs and have a day for kids that wanted to come and have a go at netball and get everyone excited for the new season,” said Dandenong and District Netball Association Centre Manager Christine Ware.
The association has made netball a part of everyday life for hundreds of players in the local area, coming from a diverse range of backgrounds.
One initiative in particular has been instrumental in enabling players from different socio-economic backgrounds to get involved, and that is their secondhand shoes initiative; providing netball shoes to those who can’t afford them.
“We found that shoes are always a big cost for parents,” said Ware.
“So we put out a container where people could leave their outgrown, unwanted shoes, and anyone that needs shoes are welcome to take them. There are no rules – anyone who needs shoes are very welcome.”
Ware acknowledges the importance of inclusion in a netball association, especially in a diverse community such as Dandenong.
“If we want our sport to continue and thrive, we have to be open to accept everybody and it’s just something that everyone should do,” Ware said.
“The greatest pleasure I get is seeing the young kids out there playing with smiles on their faces and it doesn’t matter what your cultural background or socio-economic circumstances are, you can all go out and hopefully have fun playing netball.
“Inclusion is part of us, it’s just something we do every day.”
