Townsville netballer Shakira Koskela to play for Queensland in First Nations Tournament

A young Townsville health official with a big dream has been selected to represent Queensland at Netball Australia’s inaugural First Nations Tournament.

The road to representative netball has not been straightforward for Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) patients services officer Shakira Koskela but the 22-year-old is one of two Townsville players representing Queensland at Netball Australia’s inaugural First Nations Tournament in Melbourne on Friday. Picture: Supplied

A young Townsville health official with a big dream has been selected to represent Queensland at Netball Australia’s inaugural First Nations Tournament.

Shakira Koskela, a patient services officer working for Townsville Hospital and Health Service said being named in the team was “still a bit surreal” considering she only started playing outdoor netball a couple of years ago.

“I only started playing outdoor netball to stay active and I thought I had missed my opportunity to play representative sport,” the 22-year-old wing attack said.

“I had played indoor netball from a young age and anyone who has played the two will tell you they are very different.”

Ms Koskela said her mother fell ill when she was a young teen, and although she could still play netball, she also had to help the family.

“While it was a stressful time, my parents still supported me to play sport and I will always be thankful to them for that.”

She said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, she started to fall out of love with the game.

“All sport was cancelled, and I didn’t get the opportunity to play,” she said.

“I tried getting back into the sport once restrictions had eased and it wasn’t until I connected with former Diamonds player Sharon Finnan-White in 2022 and made the move to outdoor netball that I started to enjoy playing again.”

The road to representative netball has not been straightforward for Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) patients services officer Shakira Koskela but the 22-year-old is one of two Townsville players representing Queensland at Netball Australia’s inaugural First Nations Tournament in Melbourne on Friday. Picture: Supplied

Ms Koskela said it wasn’t long before her love for the game returned.

“I am grateful my hard work and passion allowed me to get a call up to represent Queensland.”

The First Nations Tournament is an under-23s event with a representative team made up of First Nations players from each of the states and territories.

Teams will split into two pools, with the winners of both pools competing against each other to be named the tournament winner for 2024.

Ms Koskela said she was looking forward to getting on the court with her teammates and representing the state.

“Most of the team is in southeast Queensland, which makes practising and being able to come together as a team difficult,” she said.

“I never thought I would be in the position to represent my state and I am very excited to get to Melbourne and play alongside some of the best netball players in Queensland, while taking on some of the best players from across the country.”

She said her goal was to trial for the Black Swans, the national First Nations netball side.

“I hope my story is also one which can help to inspire First Nations kids to chase their dreams and to not give up.”

Originally published as Townsville netballer Shakira Koskela to play for Queensland in First Nations Tournament