She’s heading into her first season as full-time member of the Queensland Firebirds squad but donning the purple dress wasn’t the motivation when Isabelle Shearer’s netball journey began.
Growing up in the central Queensland town of Rockhampton, Shearer realises the team aspect of the sport and the bond it created was what lured the then seven-year-old to take the court for Frenchville Netball Club.
“I liked the sport and I liked the team aspect of it,” Shearer said.
“I liked being with my friends and running around with my friends.
“It's such a team-based sport. Even compared to some of the other court sports – in netball, you can only go in whatever third so it really makes you be a team and you really get to connect with the girls on your team.”
Playing in the same team as twin sister Kate, Shearer said the shared experience of netball would continue beyond the matchday – especially in a regional community like Rockhampton.
“They really value sport up there,” Shearer said.
“Most of my friends played netball in school and it was something that we could all connect on. Lots of us played for different clubs but then you’d come to school the next day and talk about how your game went the night before.
“Which was really exciting to share how everyone’s game went.
“It forces you to be social, which I think is cool because for some people they’re probably not inclined to do so as much.”
The netball community Shearer was exposed to as a youngster would grow beyond the borders of Rockhampton, extending across central Queensland as she started making regional and representative teams.
Even when she headed to Brisbane to further her netball dreams, familiar faces were never in short supply.
“When I moved to Brisbane, the only people that I knew were netball people but I was so grateful that I already had those connections with people down here purely through netball,” she said.
“To this day, my best friends are netball people and coming into the Firebirds it's just so easy to create friends with people that you are teammates with.
“Even though we're just a team put together by someone else, we’re actually one big friend group which is really cool.
“And it's like that all the way through.”
Returning for its second year Woolworths NetSetGo centres across Queensland will be running a Come and Play Day this Saturday offering free clinics to encourage kids to try netball for the first time, while kids who are already registered to play are still welcome so why not bring a friend or sibling to your local centre?
For more information and to find your nearest session, click here.
