SUNRAYSIA Football Netball League (SFNL) will not be able to enter junior representative netball teams this year unless coaches step up and volunteer.
SFNL are looking for coaches for the under-17, under-15 and under-13 teams.
Player, umpire and coach Christie Becker, from the Wentworth Netball Club said, “as at today, we have had only one volunteer to coach this season and that person is me”.
Becker said without coaches the league would not be able to run a representative season and “it will really limit the opportunities available to the region’s young netballers”.
The SNFL committee member said try-outs were planned to start on February 25 and training would start on the Tuesday night two weeks after that.
There are six games in the tournament.
Becker said volunteering would not impact coaches’ regular seasons.
“We’re contacting clubs, encouraging them to come forward with coaches but we haven’t had any response from them yet,” she said.
She said there was a stigma that representative coaching was much more difficult than club coaching.
“That’s what I thought when I started but it’s really not that bad,” she said.
“There are people here to support you and to help you get through it … it’s really not that scary.”
Becker said there was no better feeling than giving children the best chance to do well in netball.
“We’re looking for some fresh faces.
“All the coaches we had teed up for last year have moved, or aren’t returning, and we’re having a really hard time getting new coaches to come on board.
“If we can’t find coaches we won’t be able to run the program at all.
“If that is the case, they won’t be able to go away to tournaments, they’ve got no chance to get selected for academies and they won’t get to play.
“We’re asking for anyone to come forward who has been coaching at their club and who is ready to take the next step in your coaching career.
“Post-COVID, it seems like people have different priorities at the moment but we’re ready to help anyone who is ready to help the kids,” Becker said.
Applicants must complete a foundation online coaching accreditation and be prepared to complete a working with children check.
For more information or to apply, email netball@sfnl.org.au.
