Goannas Netball Club; a brief history

All great things are built from tragedy…

Goannas Netball Club grew from the tears of a child on  the sideline of a netball court being screamed at by her coach.

It was built after seeing court time being given to the coaches’ children. Or to the player that could shout the loudest for the position they wanted, while the quiet reserved players sat on the sideline, missing out or only playing positions they didn’t like.

From adult friendships being divided when four players were excluded from a team.

From this a team was born with the ethos to “take anyone because everyone deserves to play the sport they love.”

The club’s first team started with a mixed team called Purple Goannas. Yes, after the drink, because one of the team had recently done a Purple Goannas Yardie for his 21st.

Then thanks to some ADHD hyperfocus; 48 hours later there was now a mixed team, a women’s team and three junior teams. All with coaches, managers, umpires and a sponsor; who supplied equipment, T-shirts for the kids and the odd pizza or hot chippies shout. Just from advertising for players asking for “any experience, even no experience”

When the netball centre found out our resident Netball Nerd was behind 5 teams, she got a stern talking to for being irresponsible. But she trusted the mini committee, the managers, the coaches, the umpires, the players and the parents of Purple, Pink, Blue, Gold and Green Goannas to show up each week demonstrating sportsmanship and commitment. And that they did. The summer league season finished with a mini prizegiving for all, plus certificates of achievement for all the junior players celebrating their strengths and appreciation certificates for our volunteers. 

During the summer league season there were murmurs and discussions to take these five teams to form a proper club. Our Netball Nerd who had watched her mother fight the battle of starting and running a club was resistant, knowing how hard it was to work with this centre. But somehow one of the friends managed to convince her to attend a selecting workshop together at a different centre.

During the introductions at the workshop the response from the Waiuku Netball Centre Executive and Netball Northerns’ Coach Lead was extremely different…

This Centre was excited to hear of the new players enjoying Netball and of old players returning. Waiuku Netball Centre encouraged and convinced the friends that a club at Waiuku Netball Centre wouldn’t be a fight, it would be encouraged and supported.

The pressure was now really being applied to our Netball Nerd. She scrambled and researched and called, looking for a club closer to home. One that would align with her values of inclusion, integrity and fairness, that would prioritise the growth of Netball over what was best for the organisers and/or their children. Everywhere came up short.

So she reluctantly caved and the decision was made to form the Goannas Netball Club at Waiuku Netball Centre. Obviously with our first team being Purple Goannas, of course our uniforms had to be purple.

We had the equipment, but where were these uniforms coming from? So our Netball Nerd leant on the sponsor from summer league, her father. She asked for funds for uniforms for three teams. He offered, telling her the money was there for her to do as she pleased and if she chose a netball club, that was her choice or she could just take the money. I think you can guess, she chose what was best for netball, over what was best for her and her family. So now we had funds for our netball uniforms.

So 2023 rolled around Purple Goannas joined the evening mixed competition at Franklin Pool and Leisure. Catch All (pun intended) was created in the competition where the 4 friends had been excluded. While the planning began for the newest club at Waiuku Netball Centre. For every team we continue to ask for “any experience welcome, even no experience.”

Meaning Catch-All had many women back to Netball for the first time in years/decades and one woman who had only ever watched her daughters play. The raw potential of this team was apparent, but with no desire to win, just to play netball and have fun. They lost every game all term until… 

The semi-final. The first half of the game was tight; goal for goal. The second half of the game they found their flow and slowly pulled away. Finishing with a convincing win.

The friends had never shared with their teammates why the team was formed or where the name Catch-All came from, until after the semi final. Not because they had won the semi final, but because they had beaten the team that had excluded them. A beautiful metaphor highlighting how inclusion beats exclusion. BTW Catch-All went on to lose the final, but they didn’t care.

As Purple and Catch-All enjoyed their first term at Franklin pool and leisure, the friends created three teams at Waiuku Netball centre; the newest team Grand Goannas come from, you guessed it, advertising for “all experience welcome, even no experience” plus two junior teams built from summer league.

At Grand’s first practice the players were asked what they wanted from their season and it boiled down to 3 things; fun, fitness and friendship. Which became what is now commonly referred to as Goannas Netball Club’s 3Fs.

And from there the club has continued to grow, with players coming from far and wide, some travelling over an hour to play and lots driving past other centres to be with us. Because every decision made by our Goannas Gurus (our committee) is based on what is best for the growth of netball as a whole. A drive to get as many players on court as possible, enjoying a game we love so much. We do this by taking anyone that wants to play netball regardless of experience. We treat everyone fairly, by choosing what is best for Netball over what is best for ourselves. We don’t always get it right, no one ever will, but our hearts are in the right place and you can’t ask for more than that.

Goannas Netball Club; any experience welcome, even no experience 

We offer fun, fitness and friendship.

We ask for commitment and sportsmanship in return