Fearless.
Netball Victoria’s theme for 2021 is also the basis for CEO Rosie King’s confidence that a stronger organisation and community will emerge from the acute and unique challenges of COVID-19.
“We’ve been fearless in the past and we’ll continue to be fearless into the future,’’ says King. “Fearless is about being brave and being purposefully connected and holding true to our values and our intent.
“It’s also about the way that our community stands tall and the way that our elite athletes play. For some people being fearless is about just showing up and connecting through sport and that’s OK, too. That’s sometimes all we can ask.
“The resilience that we have had to learn to be able to work through so many different challenges I think will hold us in great stead going forward.
“We’ve been able to stick together and support each other. I think that we are definitely going to come out of this as a better and stronger sport and community after what we’ve endured.’’
The peerless Suncorp Super Netball team in a season played out in a Queensland hub was the all-conquering Melbourne Vixens, who on Saturday, 1 May will unfurl the premiership flag before the grand final rematch against West Coast Fever.
Not since the 2019 semi final win over the Magpies have the Vixens played before a home crowd, and COVID restrictions mean that many of the loyal fans who will squeeze into a reduced-capacity John Cain Arena will have also missed the chance to get out on court and compete - at whatever level - themselves over the past 12 months.
No-one escaped the tentacles of the coronavirus, and the impact will be ongoing. Yet so is the optimism, and, for King and the Board and team at Netball Victoria, there is immense pride in what was achieved despite the unprecedented difficulties.
“It was a very very challenging year, and I think everyone was hoping that come midnight on the 31st of December our world would be back to normal, but that hasn’t been the case,’’ says King.
Yet what she describes as “a really a massive year of complications and communication” also helped to unite the Victorian sports industry. Co-operation came through once or twice-weekly Zoom briefings for 100-plus leaders - facilitated by VicSport and which continue (although less frequently) in 2021 - along with regular updates from government departments and health experts.
It was then up to Netball Victoria to distill the mass of information into the essentials that would answer such practical sports-specific questions flooding into HQ as how to sanitise balls and manage coaching sessions.
King likened it to an egg timer: wide at the top of the hourglass, narrow in the middle “and then sweeping back into a broad brush’’ below to disseminate the vital facts and advice widely.
“What really blew me away through that process was really how diligent our netball community is, in not wanting to make any errors, not wanting to exacerbate things, but creating a safe environment for the community and doing as much right as they could possible do under the circumstances.
“So it was a really complex time but it was also really galvanising as a community.’’
Valuable, too, were the round-table virtual meetings to which King was invited by Victoria’s Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence, who asked for “pain points” and carried specific community examples to the government along with recommendations about the sports’ needs in what became a mutually-beneficial feedback loop.
In-house, NV’s principle was resolute: people over profit. Vivid in King’s memory as the COVID crisis unfolded were the images of people lining up outside Centrelink offices and the trauma of redundancies throughout the community.
That priority to save jobs within netball led to a 20 per cent pay cut across the entire organisation – no exceptions.
The introduction of JobKeeper helped, as did government “survival packages” in the form of community grants. Careful expense management and some savings through the reduced provision of services enabled $500,000 worth of grants to be funnelled back into the netball community by year’s end.
“I think the financial result for last year has been exceptional, and Steve Gatt, our COO, often says where you’re trying to end up is like landing a jumbo jet on a razor blade,’’ laughs King.
“The challenge for us going into this year is firstly around getting grassroots back to play, now that they’ve had that year off where we’ve all adjusted the way that we work and play.’’
Participation numbers are tracking slightly below 2019 figures, although Easter’s timing in 2021 has pushed back the start of footy-netball leagues by several weeks.
Membership data is pored over regularly with a forensic focus to ensure everything possible is being done to entice participants back to community sport.
“I’m so proud of our organisation at every level and that the Board have supported the executive team’s, vision and strategy,’’ says King.
“I take my hat off to them and our organisation for sticking in there and staying together against all odds and navigating our way through some really really complex finances and issues and strategies and having to recalibrate and pivot and all of those words that we now absolutely hate.
“Our netball community has been careful, considered and cautious, yet they’ve been optimistic about getting back to sport, and that’s been fantastic.
“We have to be proud of what netball has achieved, and can also achieve. The path has been challenging but also rewarding; the upside for the sport into the future is just as exciting.’’
That includes the Vixens, who successfully negotiated so many obstacles under the astute guidance of head coach Simone McKinnis to claim their first SSN title in emotional circumstances in Brisbane.
All of which is part of a story to be continued. Fearlessly, of course.
Written by Linda Pearce
