Written by Amelia Barnes
The 2023 Coach of the Year Award is presented by Origin
Noel Halton, one of Victorian netball’s most dedicated community and high performance coaches, has taken out Coach of the Year in the 2023 Netball Victoria Community Awards.
To say Halton is passionate about netball would be an understatement. When he’s not working full time or with family, you can usually find him at one of several netball courts across Victoria where he coaches – from Corowa Rutherglen Football Netball Club to Melbourne’s State Netball Centre.
At the peak of the netball season, these positions combined see Halton dedicating as much as 25 hours a week to coaching, including up to 16 hours of driving to various venues from his home in Rutherglen in north-eastern Victoria.
Halton’s introduction to netball was in 2011 as a parent watching his teenage daughter play in the local Tallangatta & District Football League.
The team was struggling to find a coach the following year, so Halton decided to help. “I knew nothing about netball, so I went and did some accreditation courses to help build some knowledge of the game,” he said.
Halton took his daughter’s 13&Under team to finals in his first year of coaching. He loved the thrill of the competition, but more importantly, being able to see and contribute to the players’ personal development.
He continues to coach locally to this day, currently for Corowa Rutherglen Football Netball Club’s 15&Under team playing in the Ovens & Murray Football Netball League.
Halton combines this position with multiple other coaching roles throughout the year, including assistant coach of Netball Victoria’s North East Talent Academy – one of six Talent Academies across the state designed for selected athletes between the ages of 15-19 years to learn, progress, and develop.
As the assistant coach of the North East program, Halton helps lead monthly training sessions with the athletes in preparation for the annual Inter Academy Weekend at the State Netball Centre. This event is an important part of the Netball Victoria athlete pathway, allowing selectors to view all Academy athletes and identify individuals for state squad selections.
Halton is also heavily involved with Netball Victoria’s All Abilities athlete pathway, which provides female athletes with an intellectual disability the chance to represent their state in the annual Marie Little Shield tournament.
He was appointed assistant coach of Victoria’s Marie Little Shield team in 2022 based on his previous experience coaching students at Belvoir Special School in Wodonga.
Halton returned to the Marie Little Shield role this year, contributing to Victoria’s 19-11 grand final win against NSW. This result was especially momentous for the team after losing to the NSW in the year prior, and in their final pool match of the 2023 competition.
“My whole experience with the Marie Little Shield team and support staff is probably the biggest highlight of my coaching journey so far, and winning the Marie Little Shield in Melbourne was the cherry on top,” said Halton.
The newest string to Halton’s coaching bow has been assisting the North East Blaze in the Victorian Netball League (VNL). After starting as an apprentice in 2022, Halton is stepping up to an assistant coach role for the 2024 season.
“I enjoy the chance to be mentored by such great coaches and being on the bench with them on a Wednesday night. The quality of netball in the VNL is amazing.”
As a coach, Halton is positive, passionate, and supportive. “I may not be the most technically correct coach, but I would hope most would go away with a positive experience and the drive to continue on their netball journey,” he said.
“At the end of the day, netball needs to be an enjoyable experience – that’s why we do it.”
His coaching style focuses on players mastering the basics, and he’s a firm believer in the sentiment ‘defence wins championships.’
“All aspects of the game are important, but defensive turnovers will win you games.”
Halton undertakes all these coaching roles on a mostly voluntary basis, save for reimbursements to cover travel expenses. He does it all for the love of the game and what it delivers.
“The bonds and friendships you make along the way play a major role in why I love the game so much,” Halton said. “It brings people from all walks of life together to an environment where we all have something in common.”
The Coach of the Year award is an acknowledgment of all Halton’s hard work and those who have supported his coaching career to date.
“I obviously don’t coach for awards, but to be recognised by your peers for something that I’m so passionate about is a great achievement for me personally,” he said.
“It’s also a nice recognition for the people that have helped me along the way, especially my family.”
