Super Netball: How the league is looking to encourage more Indigenous players

Netball NSW has created an Indigenous All Stars side to take on the Giants on Sunday – but is the sport doing enough to encourage First Nations athletes?

Why is Jemma Mi Mi the only Indigenous Super Netballer?

Proud Kamilaroi woman and Giants Academy coach Ali Tucker-Munro often grapples with this complex and devastating question.

The severe under-representation of First Nations Super Netballers was highlighted during last year’s Indigenous Round, when the Queensland Firebirds refused to give Mi Mi a second of court time.

The incident rocked the netball community and saw Netball Australia and state organisations commit to improving pathways and opportunities for Indigenous athletes.

Last week, Netball NSW named their first ever Indigenous All Stars team.

The side will take on the Giants Academy at Ken Rosewall Arena – before the big Super Netball local derby between the Giants and NSW Swifts.

Jemma Mi Mi is the only Indigenous player in Super Netball. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

“They’re looking at Jemma Mi Mi, what happened last year was a bit of a lightning rod for the sport … one of those questions that is often put to me as a coach in the pathway is, why only Jemma?” Tucker-Munro said.

“That’s a huge burden for Jemma to carry, it’s a burden that she should never be carrying as an athlete.

“I say to people, actually, there are quite a few girls in the pathway. It’s about giving them the platform and raising their profile. Giving them that acknowledgment that, we see you, we acknowledge you and we celebrate you for sticking in there and doing the hard yards.”

Tucker-Munro played more than 100 National Netball League games alongside Indigenous netballers Bianca Franklin and Kirby Bently.

The coach hopes that her All Stars – a mix of Premier League, Super Netball Academy and former NSW State players – form strong bonds through the experience.

“Peer to peer learning is really powerful and that mentorship becomes really powerful as well,” Tucker-Munro said.

“They didn’t know each other and they were poorer for it. The higher up you get on the pathway, the more lonely it can get. Building that network within this netball community is really important for our girls.”

To improve the elite pathway for First Nations netballers, Tucker-Munro said education is vital. So too, is close consultation with players, families and communities.

Tucker-Munro also believes that more Indigenous coaches would make a difference.

The Giants Indigenous All Stars side will take the court before the NSW Swifts and Giants' clash on Sunday at Ken Rosewall Arena. The side will be coached by Kamilaroi woman Ali Tucker-Munro.

“Understanding some of those kinship caring responsibilities a lot of our girls have, I know I had that as a player. People don’t realise that they’ve been up all night helping Mum with the little ones. There’s an expectation that they’re going to go help Aunty or Nan,” Tucker-Munro said.

“Girls aren’t not rocking up to training because they’re lazy or they’re not interested, it’s because they’re exhausted. But we don’t ask those questions.

“Having coaches in that space to help spark that conversation becomes really important because it reduces the athletes needing to do that.

“If we have coaches in the pathway, it means that the athletes can see themselves in the coaches around them and therefore they’re more comfortable, I think, when they’re being challenged to go to someone to have those conversations”,

Tucker-Munro emphasised the importance of creating safe spaces for Indigenous athletes to prevent cultural fatigue.

“I call it cultural fatigue sometimes, that’s how I feel in terms of the burden that’s placed on players. Even like Jemma Mi Mi, there’s a burden that she carries,” Tucker-Munro said.

“Inadvertently, you know, people don‘t recognise that they do put that expectation on us.

“And I make it really clear to people that my experiences as an Aboriginal, proud Kamilaroi woman, are very different to anyone else’s.”

On Sunday, Tucker-Munro can’t wait to celebrate the fast and exciting style of netball that her All Stars team has demonstrated during training.

“It was almost like touch footy, because of the speed and a quick release of the ball, which is really exciting. That’s what I love about coaching our girls, is that it is very instinctual. They have such trust in each other when they let that ball go,” Tucker-Munro said.

All Stars to watch out for include captain Courtney Jones, a zippy midcourter with a touch football background.

There’s also rangy circle defender Tegan Holland, and Swifts Academy player Tarsha Hawley who is known for sinking long bombs.

“I‘m particularly really looking forward to having some of the youngsters being around some of the more experienced ex-state players to really just feed off their energy and really tune into what it takes to be at that level” Tucker-Munro said.

The Indigenous All-Stars will take on the Giants Netball Academy at 11:15am on Sunday before the Giants and NSW Swifts derby. The match will be live-streamed on the Giants Facebook page.

The 2021 Inaugural NNSW Indigenous All-Stars team:

Ayla Clark – Sutherland Shire

Chloe Pattison – Charlestown

Courtney Jones – Randwick (captain)

Daisy Kennedy-Holtz – Randwick

Emily Dunn – Shoalhaven

Emma Smith – Sutherland Shire

Georgie-Annah Elder – Charlestown

Kayla Nakhoul – Camden and District

Olivia Clark – Queanbeyan

Tarsha Hawley – Newcastle (captain)

Tegan Holland – Shoalhaven

Thalia Uilelea – Queanbeyan

Originally published as Super Netball: How the league is looking to encourage more Indigenous players