Kathryn Harby-Williams: Former Aussie netball captain backs grassroots netball
She’s won world championships and Commonwealth Games golds but former Australian netball captain Kathryn Harby-Williams hopes her current challenge will be just as successful.
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She’s won world championships and Commonwealth Games golds but former Australian netball captain Kathryn Harby-Williams hopes her current challenge will be just as successful.
The revered netballer from Brighton, who represented Australia for more than a decade, is now championing the sport she was a champion in.
Harby-Williams made her name on the court as a steely defender and is channelling that determination to ensure netball on every level is as strong as it can be.
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“Netball has the largest participation rate of any sport in Australia so it’s fair to say it is part of our culture and our DNA,” she said. “When you play at the highest level there is an expectation to be winners but despite that pressure you play because you enjoy it.
“I’ll do everything I can to ensure grassroots netballers are enjoying themselves and staying in the game.
“As a local coach you really want to see someone come through your local club and play at the highest level as there’s no better feeling.”
Harby-Williams, who was also a defender for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the old national league, has jumped on-board a grassroots campaign in Bayside.
She is front and centre of a Sandringham & District Netball Association led campaign to replace Hampton’s ageing indoor court with a new facility in Sandringham.
“A massive part of the Bayside community including players, parents and siblings are asking for a new stadium but they’re being ignored,” she said.
“The indoor facility in Hampton is the worst I’ve ever seen and I’m amazed it’s compliant.”
She said access to adequate facilities was a key factor in retaining players.
Harby-Williams was called up for the Sandringham campaign after it hit a state and federal funding brick wall.
Her local connection as head of the Firbank Grammar netball program meant it was easy for campaigners to convince her to support the cause.
But the Australian Netball Players’ Association executive officer said she was always willing to get behind a push for better court access.
“Netball is a big part of my life and I’m happy to help other areas where I can,” she said.
“Grassroots are as important to netball as they are to other sports and we want junior players to enjoy themselves.
“We want to keep the future of netball strong and we wouldn’t want players to quit just because of poor facilities.”
Despite a shock loss to England in the gold medal game at this year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Australian netball has never been stronger.
The Australian team are the current world champions and the sport is becoming more professional each year.
Suncorp Super Netball — Australia’s national league — signed a five year broadcast deal with Nine Entertainment at the beginning of its inaugural 2017 season.
The TV deal to broadcast live games direct to free-to-air prime time audiences was the biggest ever for netball in this country.
One of Harby-Williams’ main roles at the association is to guide players through this unprecedented growth.
“We’re doing what we can to promote the interests of past and present players,” she said.
“Our goal is to see the national league move from an elite semi-professional league to a fully-fledged sustainable competition where players are on full-time contracts. “By raising the profile of netball we are going to encourage participation at grassroots levels.”
But Harby-Williams warned the netball industry needed to tread carefully to ensure the health of players was looked after.
“The health and wellbeing of the players is most important and having an identity outside of the sport is a high priority,” she said.
With such a full-plate, South Australian born Harby-Williams could be forgiven for not spending as much time with her family as should would like but that’s not the case.
“My husband Corey, daughter Coco (12) and sons Jasper (10) and Joey (8) are my number one priority,” she said. “Captaining Australia and winning golds and world championships were amazing moments but they’re all distant second compared to having children.”
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