Sport
13 December, 2024
'It was important for us': Stawell Warriors embrace netball change for 2025
The Warriors were one WFNL club that fielded a male player in 2024.
Netball
WFNL
The Wimmera Football Netball League is focused on increasing opportunities for juniors to play netball, regardless of their gender.
The league passed a motion at its November 18 annual general meeting to change the structure of one of the junior netball grades.
The existing under-15 female netball competition has been reworded to a mixed netball competition.
For the Stawell Warriors, this means that one of their players, Henry Dunn, will be able to continue his netball journey.
"It's great for the club and it's great for the young boy that we have playing for us, it just means that he gets an extra year playing a sport that he loves, Stawell netball director Amber Mitchell said.
"He genuinely loves his netball. He's very passionate about his netball, and he wants to take it a long way."
The motion permits up to one male participant per team, who may play until the age of 14, as determined by their age on December 31 of the current year.
"For us, it was important for us to support him in that and support any other boys, you know, pursuing, wanting to pursue netball, to give them that extra sort of a step forward into a pathway," Ms Mitchell said.
"It's all about equal opportunity. I know firsthand that the league already allows girls to play a year over age in the under-14 football.
Ms Mitchell is hopeful that the change will encourage more boys down the netball talent pathway.
"I think it's a positive thing for the league. I certainly hope that there's more boys that take it up," she said.
"I'm not sure if they will or not, but the opportunity is now there for them to do that."
WFNL chair Peter Ballagh said the motion aligns with the league's focus on inclusion.
"We are excited to introduce this change, which ensures that both males and females have access to the same opportunities to play netball in the Wimmera," he said.
"This motion reflects our commitment to inclusivity, supporting the development of junior athletes, and providing pathways for young players to progress in both netball and football."
This bylaw change aligns with Netball Victoria's Promotion of Male Participation in Netball Policy and the Netball Victoria Gender Regulation, ensuring that the WFNL follows best practices and supports greater inclusivity in the sport.