Written by Amelia Barnes
Since 1972, Hoppers Crossing Netball Association has provided opportunities for the Hoppers Crossing and Wyndham communities to play netball.
The organisation continues to evolve over 50 years later, and was recently recognised by Netball Victoria as joint winners of 2022 Association of the Year.
The last few years have been huge for Hoppers Crossing Netball Association (HCNA). Participation has increased, new competitions have been announced, and an $11 million redevelopment of their home ground at Mossfiel Reserve was completed.
In 2022, administrators at HCNA developed new initiatives to draw more players to netball. Most notably, the association partnered with Wyndham Netball Association to run a five-week competition, allowing players to return to court as soon as possible after two COVID-disrupted years.
“We wanted to get people back before Christmas and before the start of the season in February, so they remembered that they love netball,” said Sophie Went, president at HCNA.
HCNA also worked with Wyndham Netball Association during the year to deliver an Introduction to Umpiring workshop as part of the WorkSafe Umpires in the Field program presented by Netball Victoria.
“That was a sell-out event… We thought we were only going to have four or five people, but we were at full capacity at over 20 people,” said Went.
Teams from Wyndham and other neighbouring associations were likewise invited to the Melbourne Vixens Fearless Roadshow held at HCNA, and to a Netball Victoria coaching clinic.
While arguably a competing association, HCNA has seen only positive outcomes from collaborating with Wyndham Netball Association. Above all, Went said Hoppers exists to build community spirit and provide opportunities for all to participate in netball. “It's not about association versus association, it's just the betterment of netball,” she said.
HCNA celebrated their 50th anniversary with a party in 2022. Numerous parents and grandparents of current players attended this event, which saw archival photos of the competition’s early days on display, and activities for kids.
“Just to have that kind of community feel was really special,” said Went. “It was just also a reminder of how far we've come, having been a really small association starting with eight teams in 1972… to now being the size we are.”
In 2023, HCNA will host its first open age women’s competition, and see the return of its representative teams.
Went is looking forward to providing representative players from under 11s to under 17s with more opportunities to advance along the Netball Victoria pathway.
Teams will compete in tournaments across Victoria, including the Association Championships.
“We’ve seen kids leave the association because they're looking for that next challenge,” said Went. “We want to retain them and show them that we can also provide that next opportunity for them to compete on a bigger scale, experience what a tournament feels like, and feel that camaraderie.”
Boys are also included in the representative program, with HCNA hosting an under 15s boys team for the first time.
The representative boys team follows the success of the under 15s mixed division in HCNA’s Saturday competition in 2022, allowing boys beyond the under 13s age group a place to play netball.
“Actually being able to retain them and grow that competition has been really exciting,” said Went. “What that's seen is a number of boys join the association as well. I think providing those boys a platform, but also a pathway, is really important.”
HCNA’s goal for the upcoming season is to increase the number of teams playing to 50 — up from 46 in the spring 2022 season, and 36 in the autumn season.
No matter how much the association grows, Went says maintaining a community feel that feels like home will always be the priority.
The Association of the Year Award is supported by Flight Centre
