After being approached to reconsider the uniform bylaws for the Parkville Netball competition, Parkville Competitions Coordinator, Sue Flynn thought 2020 was the perfect opportunity to revise the guidelines.
The uniform guidelines were ‘relaxed’ to allow clubs/teams to nominate which style of uniform they wished to wear. This could include a dress, shirt and skirt or shorts. Teams were able to nominate any combination of uniform to ensure all their players in the team could choose the most appropriate uniform for them. By revising the uniform guidelines, the aim is for the competition - and the sport of netball as a whole - to avoid losing players who are no longer comfortable wearing a dress.
Two teams in the Parkville netball competition – Westside Saints and Moreland Archers – have so far submitted shorts to be a part of their club’s uniform in 2020.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Flynn said. “A lot of these girls, they grow quicker than what they can replace their uniform…the uniforms can be quite expensive, so you may get half a season through it and then have a growth spurt… The shorts and t-shirts – or tops – I just think they look great, and hopefully more clubs will take it on board and may then get more girls who don’t want to wear the dress or a skirt, playing.”
Flynn added that while she didn’t think adding in shorts as a uniform option would necessarily attract new players to the sport, it would potentially encourage some players to play for longer with their club.
“A lot of them just hate their uniforms, and they go ‘I’m not wearing that, I’m not playing,’ where this is actually quite nice and provides a lot of flexibility for clubs.
“Parkville is a leader in most of the netball competitions around here, so other Associations will follow what Parkville does, so if we bring it in and allow it, then you’re going to have other Associations going ‘well if they can wear it at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, why can’t they wear it at our Association?’”
“Netball has been played at the site in Parkville [now the site of the State Netball and Hockey Centre] since 1945, and so a lot of people associated with the competition are very, very traditional,” Flynn continued, “but times are changing and we need to go with it.”
Flynn added that whilst many teams had submitted new uniforms for 2020, not many had thought to include shorts in their range. However, it’s not too late to re-lodge new uniforms including shorts, should teams wish to.
With the implementation of an inclusion range by a uniform supplier, Westside Saints, jumped at the opportunity to make this available to their players. With 18 teams competing at Parkville Netball, Westside Saints coach, Tracy Wallace thought, it was a great opportunity to introduce a new uniform range.
“We moved to shorts in our uniform for a number of reasons, but the main one was because we thought they’d be a lot more comfortable,” Wallace explained. “We’ve done research now for probably eight months, got players to try them on, see how they feel and all that sort of stuff, and they wanted to train in stuff that they play in and vice versa, so we decided that we’d work out a sponsorship deal, get a new design and snaz them up a little bit, and be the first club to do them as well.
“I love them!” Wallace said of the new design. “Probably as I helped design them with Darren the Head Coach,” she laughed, “but I love them. Our dresses were looking a bit outdated and I just think they’re so comfortable…maybe we can do long ones [leggings] when we’re outdoors like we are here at Riverside, as in winter it gets really cold.”
And most importantly, what do the players think?
“I think they love them too,” Wallace reiterated. The younger players, especially our 11s, 13s and 15s, were so excited to get something new…parents included, seniors included - everyone was really excited about the uniform change.”
