Fair game? The problem driving sports-mad country kids around the bend

Chasing an elite sporting dream from the country is both a blessing and a curse for families living in our regions, according to Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty.

Chasing an elite sporting dream from the country is both a blessing and a curse, according to Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty.

Petty, 26, grew up in the small Eyre Peninsula farming town of Wudinna and says the support she received from the community along her netballing journey has been incredible.

The downside, however, was a level of isolation that saw her parents driving hundreds of kilometres a week to help her achieve her goals.

“The sacrifices mum and dad made were huge,” said Petty, whose brother Harrison has also succeeded at an elite level, playing in the AFL for Melbourne.

Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty grew up in the small Eyre Peninsula farming town of Wudinna. Picture: Ben Clark

“And not just mum and dad, but also the extended family and the wider community. I remember as a junior player having to drive that six hours to Adelaide and six hours back most weekends.

“I hate to think how many times we did that.

“You’d go in play sport on a Saturday morning, then drive to Adelaide, train for three hours, then drive home and go to school on Monday.

“Weekends weren’t that much fun, but at the same time that’s kind of where my determination that grind that I pride myself come from.”

Petty says she and her brother were fortunate to have parents and family willing to make those sacrifices, but young athletes without that support network were going to find it very hard to reach the top.

That’s why, she says, governments and sporting organisations need to look at different pathways to help make dreams come true for country and outback kids.

Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty says governments and sporting organisations need to look at different pathways to help make dreams come true for country and outback kids. Picture: Ben Clark

“I know that there are a lot of great athletes and aspiring kids out there that do want to play at the top level that probably don’t aren’t going to get the opportunity purely because they can’t afford to drive or fly every weekend, or can’t afford to go to school in the city,” Petty says.

“We need to look at things like programs where kids can access online coaching so instead of having to drive to Adelaide every weekend they could get coaching at home or perhaps just drive to a place like Port Lincoln and train with other kids and still get that high level of development.

“And we should also be investing in developing the coaches that are here so that they can deliver the training that’s needed.

“Whatever we can do to make life easier for those kids to achieve their goals and support their families.”

And Petty, who’ll be delivering a fireside chat at the Bush Summit today with hotel baron Peter Hurley and Andrew “Cosi” Costello, might be netball to the core but even she wasn’t immune to the excitement surrounding the Matildas’ win over France on Saturday.

“I mean, I had goosebumps,” she says.

“And it was insane to see all the different videos of people watching from everywhere around Australia just getting behind women’s sport.

“I think as netballers we probably are a little bit jealous because we also did just win the World Cup, but at the same time anything that gets more viewership on female athletes and lets people see what we can do is a good thing.

“That’s the best thing about it – it’s not girls soccer or boys soccer any more, it’s just soccer. I would love this (strong interest in women’s sport) to be something that continues and goes on beyond the World Cup.”