New idea to help Gympie sport survive coronavirus pandemic

‘We need to be on the same page when we come out of this virus, and at least try and help each other through it.’

Colleen Miller says the Gympie Sports Collective idea has been on her mind for a long time.

SPORT: From little things, big things grow.

That is the hope of Gympie sporting leader Colleen Miller, who has taken extra time afforded by coronavirus pandemic shutdowns to launch a new idea primed for immediate action once the region returns to normal operations.

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The Gympie Sports Collective will seek to establish a “united front” across all codes and provide a platform for leading local voices to share their ideas and contacts.

Power 30 – Colleen Miller

Miller said she had seen a clear need for a collective of some kind in her time so far as president of the Gympie and Districts Netball Association.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while and it came about through a conversation I had with a mum at Netball,” she said.

“Her son played league and he had to choose between playing a grand final with his local team or for Wide Bay in regional trials, it was a tough decision for the parents and the child.

“It got me thinking that we really need to be sharing calendars around this town, because there’s a lot of confusion of what region we belong to. For schools it’s Wide Bay but a lot of us play in the Sunshine Coast area in local sport, so a lot of times it really does clash.”

Sharing information on events, grants and even first aid courses were among the other reasons Miller said forming a collective was vital for the region’s sporting future, as well as tackling new challenges presented by COVID-19.

Gympie and Districts Netball Club – Matilda Gook, Breanna Pearce and Hannah Ward. Photo: Bec Singh

“As we come out of this a lot of clubs are going to be struggling. So the more we can share, like calendars, timetables, facilities, resources, whatever, I think the big issue is keeping all the sporting codes in Gympie,” Miller said.

“We need to be on the same page when we come out of this virus, and at least try and help each other through it. It’s that old adage, together everyone achieves more.

“The other issue is the sport squeeze. It came up during election time but it’s something I’ve been very conscious of before when council first broached the indoor sports complex.

“Given the current financial situation with the council I can’t see the indoor sports complex happening in the near future, I think it’ll be a little way off yet, so it got me thinking of how as different codes we can join forces and come up with solutions of how we can help with the sports squeeze.

Miller said a sports collective would help the region in “future liaisons” with federal, state and local governments.

Search Gympie Sports Collective on Facebook for more.

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