By Amelia Barnes
In 2022, Paul Baks noticed a major gap between the students he teaches at Belle Vue Park Primary School in Glenroy. While 60 per cent of boys were involved in sport outside of school, only one girl was.
This gap was not due to a lack of interest or athletic ability. Baks had seen many of his female year six students shine on the netball court in an interschool competition, so he asked what was stopping them from joining a weekend club.
“I'd always been about trying to empower our girls, but I couldn't figure out how to do it and be culturally sensitive,” he said.
The main barrier was financial, leading Baks and a colleague to establish the Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club with initial funding from Australian Schools Plus.
Baks became a self-described “netball nuffy” when his daughter started playing several years ago. He was soon attending Melbourne Vixens games and was blown away by the athleticism and quality of the product.
“I've now been to more netball than footy games, and I used to go to the footy all the time,” he said.
Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club was initially one team. Early wins were hard to come by, but the players were dedicated to improving.
“They were training every recess and every lunchtime,” said Baks. “They really bonded - it was quite extraordinary… and they improved so much because of their sheer commitment.”
Now, the club fields four teams - Under 11s, two Under 13s teams, and an Under 15s side - competing in a local Saturday competition. Players come from various schools, including most of the original Belle Vue students who have stayed involved after graduating primary school.
Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club is a safe space for players, many of whom come from multicultural backgrounds.
The number of Netball Victoria-registered participants who identify as coming from multicultural backgrounds has grown significantly in recent years, more than doubling between 2021 and 2024 (2255 participants to 4993).
This growth is a credit to people such as Baks, who supports players who have not previously been involved in netball due to cultural values or religious beliefs. Muslim players, for example, are ensured appropriate uniforms and contact with the opposite sex is restricted.
The impact of Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club extends well beyond the netball court. Baks has observed the social benefits of his students being involved in sport such as making new friends and improved confidence.
For one student, who arrived at Belle Vue Park Primary School as a Syrian refugee, Baks said playing netball has been life changing.
“It was really clear that she had experienced a lot of trauma. She struggled to make meaningful friendships, and netball just turned her life around,” said Baks.
“She's such good friends with all those girls and really well respected… She’s such a dedicated player and she's really found herself. Netball’s been amazing for her.”
Since watching their daughters play, several of the Belle Vue Panthers’ mothers have also been inspired to take up netball for the first time. “They talk about how it has strengthened their own bonds with their daughters,” said Baks.
Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club were recently invited to be part of the Everyone Belongs Round hosted by the Melbourne Vixens, where they participated in a mini exhibition match at John Cain Arena.
Playing for Belle Vue Panthers remains free, thanks to Baks, who spends time every night writing emails trying to secure sponsorship and grants. The club relies on fundraising and the generous support of donations that cover players’ registration, court, and uniform fees.
One only has to look at Baks’ leg to recognise his passion. Last year, when Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club won their first premierships, he got the club’s logo tattooed on his leg.
Baks said he’s motivated by the pride he feels watching the players and their families succeed on and off the court.
“I think one of those things I love the most is now we've got kids of different nationalities who are hanging out together outside of school,” he said.
“The mums of different nationalities are having coffees together independently of netball, so the friendships that have been built through netball, and just the joy of watching their kids play — that's the thing that I reckon I'm most proud of…
“I get more out of it than they do… They just make me proud. It’s my happy place.”
Support Belle Vue Panthers Netball Club by making a tax-deductible donation via the Australian Sports Foundation website
