Netball Queensland is continuing its commitment of providing more opportunities to those in regional areas to participate in our great game.
Our Community Development Officers played a huge part in making this happen delivering a regional tour of west Queensland called the Glencore Overlanders Way Festival of Sport.
The tour, supported by funding from Glencore, Local Government Authorities along the Overlanders Way and the North Queensland Sports Foundation, visited several towns along Overlanders Way.
The reason for this is best summed up with a spin-off to a famous quote, ‘if the mountain can not come to the netball clinics, then take the netball clinics to the mountain’ - which in one of these cases was Mount Isa.
Zara Margolis, president of Mount Isa Amateur Netball Association, knows as well as anyone the challenges associated with the town’s transient nature.
“While this can certainly be viewed as a positive – in the sense that with so many new people constantly coming to town MIANA is afforded many opportunities to bring new people into the sport,” she explained.
“This also creates significant and recurring challenges in retaining qualified and informed officials and volunteers.
“When people leave, which happens often, they take their knowledge and skills with them.”
Yet while many come and go, the quality and passion of the people that stay is what has led Mount Isa to having such impressive netball programs.
After around four years in the role of association president Margolis has seen firsthand how much the local community loves its netball.
“Netball in Mount Isa is hugely popular, and growing,” she said.
“Netball as a sport in Mount Isa is a thrilling competition, and an enjoyable means of exercise.
“But those things don’t come close to having the same level of value as the sense of community that is created through the sport.”
For everyone that attended the Glencore Overlanders Way Festival of Sport clinics saw exactly what the dedicated president was talking about.
The tour had an extra special element to it, as for the first time Netball Queensland included an elite senior clinic which was deemed a big hit.
“For our senior players I believe the social aspect of the sport is a large drawcard,” she said.
“At an elite level, the increase opportunities for development – through things like representative carnivals and the Northern Rays – is also motivating many players to consider where their talents could take them, beyond the local competition.”
According to Margolis the success off the Glencore Overlanders Way Festival of Sport clinics was no surprise.
She said whenever anything netball related was held in Mount Isa, the town got right behind it. As she referred to a Queensland Firebirds clinic earlier this year.
“There was quite a lot of logistics involved in pulling these off locally. As a volunteer-run organization, this meant quite a bit of stress,” Margolis admitted.
“However, it was made worth it when, after the junior clinic, I walked past a group of young girls when one commented to another “this is incredible’.
“This experience reinforced to me the value and importance of community netball, and all the hours put into volunteering.”
Thank you to Glencore, LGA’s and the NQSF for providing the support to enable the tour.
