By Amelia Barnes
It’s been 50 years since the founding of Sunbury Netball Association (SNA).
The Victorian association that started on a single asphalt court now hosts 2300 players who compete in junior and senior competitions at the six-court Eric Boardman indoor stadium.
SNA vice president Amanda Azzopardi has been there almost through it all, since signing up to play at SNA 43 years ago.
She’s been a player, a parent watching her four children play, a domestic coach, a representative coach, and now a committee member for the past decade.
Azzopardi has observed the steady growth and development of SNA, most notably when the association moved its competitions to the indoor Eric Boardman stadium (which then had two courts) in 1981.
More recently, the association has seen an increase in participants post-COVID, allowing SNA to expand its competitions.
They trialled a boys competition in 2023 and introduced a senior mixed competition in 2024.
The mixed competition, in particular, was incredibly popular, attracting 22 teams in its first pilot season held on Thursday nights to not clash with weekend sport and local football.
“We were blown away with all the team entries,” said Amanda. “It was great to put it out there for the community.”
SNA hopes to grow the mixed competition and return to a weeknight time slot in future as court space allows in the growing City of Hume area, located about 38 kilometres north-west of Melbourne's CBD.
“I think everyone's screaming for court space,” said Amanda.
Players of all abilities can find a home at SNA, whether that’s playing in the top senior division (often in addition to playing in local football netball leagues), or more socially as a beginner or returning player.
“We give the ability to everybody to participate. Football netball has trials and they’re only going to take an A, B, C team, whereas at an association level, we’ve got eight senior divisions they can play in. So, there's a place for everybody. Regardless of your ability, you can still play at the association,” said Amanda.
“We're also competitive. Even though I'm saying we've got low grades, we've also got high grades… We cater for everybody.”
The association also has programs for umpires and coaches to develop and be mentored.
SNA is entirely volunteer-run, by people such as Amanda who are passionate about the sport and giving back to their community.
“The drive is that you love the game,” said Amanda, when asked why she volunteers. “It's the ability to give everybody a chance to participate in the game, and that's the great thing about local and community associations.”
Some of netball’s most prominent figures have come from Sunbury and been involved with SNA over the years.
Among them is Cathy Fellows – current Adelaide Thunderbirds assistant coach and Australian 21/U coach, who has previously held coaching roles at the Melbourne Vixens and in the Netball Victoria pathway.
“Cathy played in our top open A section for years,” said Amanda.
Netball Australia CEO Stacey West is also an SNA alumnus.
“Stacey coached in our rep program… She was a great support,” Amanda said.
“They've both been very supportive of the association, and they come back for training sessions and are attending our [50 year] celebration.
“To have both of those people in Sunbury, we're pretty lucky. They’re so giving with their time.”
With the population of Sunbury and netball participation both on the rise, Amanda hopes SNA will still be a mainstay of the community in another 50 years’ time.
“I just hope that it continues to grow, and that netball keeps thriving in the community,” said Amanda.
“No doubt, it will.”
