Call to arms as Shepparton Netball Association fights for survival

The Shepparton Netball Association— a competition that has carried generations of Goulburn Valley families through crisp Saturday mornings and sunny afternoons — is on the brink of going into recess.

Not for lack of players.

Not for lack of passion.

But for want of three volunteers.

SNA president Marilyn Wall confirmed the association’s annual general meeting last Monday failed to fill three critical roles: morning convenor, afternoon convenor and umpire allocator.

“We had our AGM last Monday and we didn’t get anybody to fill our major positions,” Wall said.

“We’ve basically said to everyone at the meeting to go back to their clubs and see if they can find anybody and get in touch with us. We still haven’t heard anything at this stage.

“We’ve got another meeting scheduled for Thursday and, at which time, if we still don’t have anybody then we’ll be shutting the competition down and going into recess.”

On any given Saturday during the season, more than 100 teams flood the courts.

If you estimate 10-12 players per team, that is 1000 to 1200 children and teenagers who pass through each week — not counting coaches, siblings, parents and the volunteers who line the courts.

It’s an entire ecosystem, and it is teetering.

What makes the situation more concerning is that the roles themselves are not mountainous.

The morning convenor is required from roughly 8am to noon — overseeing proceedings, acting as a first point of contact and ensuring games run to time while the afternoon role mirrors it from noon until about 4pm.

Much of the bookwork has already been stripped away, with an administrator now handling paperwork to lighten the load.

An honorarium is paid and support is guaranteed, with committee members on hand to guide anyone new through the first few weeks.

“It’s not really an overly big role,” Wall said.

“We have a whole committee of management and there’s always people around to help.

“If someone new is taking it on, we’re certainly there for the first few weeks to help you learn what you’re doing.”

The umpire allocator’s position is similarly straightforward — assigning officials to morning matches, with the umpires committee assisting throughout the process.

Yet still, no hands have risen.

“There’s been lots of years where we’ve had trouble and we’ve had to have a second meeting because nobody put their hand up at the first one,” Wall said.

“But it’s just getting harder and harder to get people to fill roles these days.

“Everyone says I work full time and I do this and that, and it’s got to a point where it’s down to a certain few people that are doing the same things again and again.”

Until last week, the executive committee consisted of Wall and two other women in their mid-60s — none of whom have children still playing at SNA.

“We’re going out of our way to do stuff to help,” Wall said.

“But we’re getting older.”

If the association goes into recess, the youngest will feel it most.

SNA fields teams down to under-nines, and for many of those children, it is their first taste of organised sport.

“There’s nowhere else for these kids to go play netball,” Wall said.

“That’s a lot of little kids that don’t get to play netball which is really sad.”

Community sport has always relied on an unspoken contract: if you want your child to play, you help make it possible.

Wall understands the pressures modern families face — but she also knows the arithmetic.

“The more people we get, the less each one of them would have to do,” she said.

“These roles could be split between two people; it’s usually a 14-week season so it’s not a lot of weeks and not that big of an ask.”

As it stands, a handful and a half of Saturdays helping out could be the difference between silence and the sharp echo of a whistle across Brauman Street.

If nobody steps forward, the courts will still stand.

But they will stand empty.

Anyone interested in filling one of the open positions can contact Marilyn Wall on 0417 343 538.