Netball Victoria was delighted to host its annual Friends of Parliament event at Victoria’s Parliament House in November, showcasing the strong ties and ongoing collaboration between government and the Victorian netball community.
Attended by over 40 Victorian MPs, representatives from Netball Victoria’s Board and Executive team, the Melbourne Vixens and the wider Victorian netball community including NV’s Youth Advisory Committee and All Abilities program, the gathering highlighted the mutual aspirations shared by government and Netball Victoria to grow our game and generate sustainable positive outcomes in our communities.
These outcomes are made possible by significant support and investment from the Victorian Statel Government, ensuring the development and maintenance of crucial infrastructure to grow opportunities for participation and empower more Victorians across regional and metropolitan areas to play our game.
The event was an occasion to celebrate the successes seen in Victorian netball over the past 12 months.The Victorian Netball League (VNL) flourished with another successful season, attracting over 70,000 livestream viewers and reinforcing its status as a premier league in Australia.
In recognition of the talent and scope for growth in regional Victoria, the VNL will expand to welcome the Gippsland Stars and Bendigo Strikers alongside the Geelong Cougars for the 2024 season, signifying a concerted push to grow opportunity and inspire budding talents across Victoria's regions.
The appetite for more elite netball in regional areas is also clear; the Melbourne Vixens are set to work much more closely with government to deliver more elite content to key regional areas in 2024 and beyond, fostering the vital connection between elite netball and regional communities.
The event also celebrated the role of the Victorian State Government in delivering significant milestones in 2023, including the installation of bronze statues commemorating iconic Victorian netball figures Sharelle McMahon and Anne Henderson under the Statues for Equality initiative.
Unveiled in Netball Victoria’s centenary year, the statues stand as testaments to the enduring legacies of trailblazers within our sport and highlight the powerful role government can play in advocating for gender equality and promoting participation among women and girls.
Having moved into the redeveloped State Netball Centre in Parkville in 2021 thanks to the generous support of the Victorian Government, plans are now underway for Netball Victoria to elevate community engagement at the world-class venue, encouraging greater local participation and hosting exciting local and elite netball events year-round.
“Players, coaches, officials, administrators, families and volunteers in our netball community make our game what it is today, and so many opportunities are made possible by theinvalueable and ongoing support of the Victorian State government. We thank them for their ongoing partnership and support to elevate our game, and create more opportunities for women and girls to be active” said Netball Victoria CEO Andrea Pearman.
“Events like this one are an important recognition of our valued partners and their support of our game, and we look forward to working together into the future to grow netball from grassroots to the elite level.”
