Community Courts

This is me.

The girl in these photos loved netball. 🫶🏼🏐

Sport made me feel strong. It gave me confidence, friendships and somewhere I felt I belonged. Looking back, these are some of my happiest memories growing up in a small country town.

Keep reading to hear the story behind the smile.

What most people didn’t see was that I was also struggling.

Like so many teenage girls, I battled body image, worried about fitting in and questioned whether I was enough. I loved playing, but I didn’t always love the way I felt about myself.

I felt like a giant compared to my friends, and was always trying to shrink myself - in more ways than one. Body image stole so much of the confidence that sport was trying to build.

When I was 16, I moved away from my hometown to a new school in a regional city.

I trialled for the school netball team and was selected.

It should have been the beginning of a new chapter.

Instead, it became the end of a part of my life that had given me so much joy.

I never went to a single training.

Not because I didn’t love netball.
Because I didn’t know anyone.
I felt out of place.
I didn’t feel like I belonged.

No one reached out to ask where I was or if I was okay.

I often wonder what would have happened if just one person had asked why I dropped out.

One coach.
One teammate.
One phone call.

Would I have kept playing? I guess we’ll never know.

Quietly, I stopped playing organised sport altogether.

That decision shaped my late teenage years more than I realised.

I became one of the many girls who drift away from the sport they love. A statistic.

It was about belonging, confidence, connection and barriers that are often invisible to everyone else.

Because the truth is, girls don’t leave sport because they stop loving it, they often leave because of the unseen challenges they’re carrying. It’s complicated - but it doesn’t have to be.

This is why I created Community Courts.

For the girls who come from families where money is tight. For those who don’t see themselves represented in the pathways. For those who need help with transport, uniforms or shoes. For the girls who feel different, unsure or like they don’t belong.

Because sometimes all it takes is one person to notice when someone stops showing up.

I can’t change my story, but I can help change someone else’s.

Every player. Every pathway.

What an incredible day celebrating 50 Years of Deadly at the Perth NAIDOC Netball Carnival.

🖤💛❤️

Watching my daughter be welcomed onto the court to play alongside such talented, passionate and generous players was a privilege. The sense of community, encouragement and joy throughout the day was something truly special.

But as I watched the talent on display, I couldn’t help but think about how much more we still need to do.

These young athletes have the skill, determination and love for the game. So why aren’t we seeing more of them taking up space in our development pathways?

The answers aren’t always complicated. At a grassroots level, we need to stop expecting families to navigate the system alone. Imagine every association having an Aboriginal or multicultural liaison person whose role is to build relationships, encourage players to trial, follow up when they don’t return, connect families with clubs, and help remove barriers like fees, uniforms and transport.

These are practical, achievable things. They aren’t impossible, we just need to make them a priority!!

The Aboriginal community continues to show what makes sport so powerful: incredible talent, fearless playing, unwavering support for one another, and a sense of belonging that every young person deserves to experience.

If your understanding of Aboriginal culture has only come from headlines or stereotypes, I encourage you to step into your local community. Go to the events. Watch the sport. Listen. Learn. Build relationships.

The Aboriginal people in my life have genuinely changed me. They have made me a more understanding person, challenged my perspectives, and taught me the true meaning of community, resilience and belonging. For that, I will always be grateful.

Happy NAIDOC Week, and congratulations on celebrating 50 Years of Deadly. May we continue to celebrate culture while also creating pathways where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

🖤💛❤️🏐

Netball WA Netball Australia

🔹🔷 COACHING ACHIEVEMENTS 🔷🔹

Congratulations to two of our MDNC Coaches Corinna Chikwenya and Aiva Bolton who achieved their Development Coaching Accreditation!

Both coaches also recently represented NNA at the Association Championships.

We’re so proud of them, and can’t wait to see what else they achieve as the future of our club
💙🩵🤍