THE disappointment from Ballarat’s netball fraternity over the axing of the Ballarat Pride from the Victorian Netball League shouldn’t focus solely on what it means for the club itself.
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A much bigger issue is what message it sends about elite netball pathways for players from regional Victoria.
Netball Victoria this week released its review of the Victorian Netball League. The review found that Pride would not be granted a licence to continue playing in the competition.
As uncompetitive as Pride has been on the court – five wins in five seasons – surely those who run netball in the state need to take a longer-term view about the effect this decision could have on the development of the game in regional areas.
At the very least, competing in the VNL provided an opportunity for promising players to test their abilities against some of the best. The establishment of Pride gave young players a level to aspire to.
The irony shouldn’t be lost that on the day Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews visited Ballarat to pledge $30 million for the redevelopment of the Ballarat sports and entertainment precinct – including new indoor facilities – Netball Victoria’s report was released.
Ballarat’s ambitions to be the capital of Western Victoria includes establishing better sporting facilities at grassroots and elite levels. But it’s also about nurturing talent from across the region by providing access to the best coaches and competitions available.
Regional and rural areas of Victoria are a traditional heartland for netball in Australia. So often paired with football competitions, the sport presents many opportunities to become involved in the community and lead a healthy lifestyle.
It’s unfortunate that the corporate support for netball is not as strong as it is for football. There are cultural and historical factors at play here but it’s still hard to say that Ballarat should not or could not have a team competing at state level.
There are many examples from other sports which disprove such theories.
Let’s hope an alternative to create opportunities for netball in regional areas are part of Netball Victoria’s future plans.