When Tamara Kennedy returned to community netball as a coach in 2009, Moe & District Netball Association had just 12 teams, who played on dilapidated courts at least 35 years old.
The committee was short on volunteers at the time, so Kennedy offered to help.
12 years later, Kennedy is now the president of the thriving Moe & District Netball Association and its 720 players.
Since becoming president in 2015, Kennedy and Moe & District Netball Association treasurer Donna Krznaric have enabled the club and its facilities to evolve beyond recognition. The duo regularly volunteer 40 hours a week during the season, which is on top of their own full-time jobs, and each being mothers to four children.
Kennedy and Krznaric’s extensive achievements include securing much-needed funding for new netball courts in the area. Kennedy began campaigning for these courts 11 years ago, working tirelessly to eventually secure $3.9 million in joint funding from the federal and state governments with Latrobe City Council.
The 10 multi-use courts at Monash Reserve, Newborough opened earlier this year, attracting new players from all around the region to join the league.
“We can actually call ourselves a Gippsland-wide competition now. We bring teams in from Maffra, Boolarra, Warragul, Mirboo North and everywhere in between,” Kennedy said.
It was this potential in Moe’s netball community that Kennedy recognised from the outset, motivating her to become such a dedicated volunteer over a decade ago.
“Moe has always been the underdog. We’ve always had to work for our achievements…Our kids were missing out not because they were bad kids, or because of any other reason, just that there was no one advocating for them. There was no one seeing the big picture. There was no one committed to not just their own child, but the health and welfare of all the children in Moe playing netball at that time.
“To do something for the community became really important…My success didn’t need to be measured by my own children, it needed to be measured by how we were looking after our children as a community.”
The new courts have not only improved the league’s everyday operations, but recently allowed Moe & District Netball Association to host the 2021 Eastern Association Championships. This event provides associations and leagues the opportunity to compete in a crucial part of the Netball Victoria pathway, with talent identification opportunities for athletes, umpires, and coaches.
“When I first started in this role, I was told we’d never attend the Association Championships, and even if we did, none of our kids would get talent-identified. This year, not only did we attend it, we hosted it, and we had 31 kids talent-identified…My KPIs were nine!”
Establishing a culture that invites players of all backgrounds has also been hugely important to Kennedy as president. She’s passionate about supporting those from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, encouraging those from minority groups to join netball, and empowering women in sport. “It’s welcoming – we understand our community,” Kennedy said.
COVID-19 has of course posed challenges to the club, but the positivity around returning to netball has reminded Kennedy of netball’s valuable role in fostering communities and providing a sense of belonging.
Kennedy’s president duties are now busier than ever, involving everything from creating competition draws (and updating them when COVID inevitably interferes!), answering member questions, attending game day, and supporting the organisation’s many other hardworking volunteers.
Fortunately for the Moe community, she wouldn’t have it any other way. “No one does anything unless they enjoy it,” she said. “For all the hard work, it has been the most rewarding season I think I’ve ever participated in.
