Netball WA has today held its Annual General Meeting via videoconference, providing an opportunity to reflect on a significant year for the sport at a time of challenge across the community.
Marked by a number of milestones and firsts for the sport, 2019 was headlined by the announcement of a new partnership with the Gold Industry Group, which saw the most significant investment in West Australian women’s sporting history.
At a grassroots level, 2019 also saw the roll out of the Regional Office Structure with more than 20 new staff members employed across the State.
More broadly, the sport continued to grow with more than 240,000 participants across the State, including significant growth in Suncorp NetSetGO.
The Netball WA Athlete Pathway continued to strengthen thanks to the inaugural season of Metro League, while the Gold Industry Group WANL underwent its most significant reform, re-launching with seven new clubs with an eighth licence awarded midway through the year.
West Australian netball took centre stage in October as the Samsung Diamonds came to town for the final match of the Constellation Cup, which saw more than 13,000 fans pack RAC Arena.
At a Board level, the sport welcomed Grant Robinson as the new President, taking over from Deane Pieters, who completed his six-year term on the Board, five of those as President.
At today’s AGM, Craig Heatley was elected to the Board of Directors on a three-year term and Brendon Grylls was announced to fill a casual vacancy for a one-year term. Maria May was also announced to fill the independent position on the Audit and Finance Committee (having previously been the CFO for Netball Australia).
Heatley and Grylls fill the vacancies left by Julie Beeck and Marita Somerford, who have completed their respective terms.
Heatley is a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and brings over 20 years' experience in assurance and business advisory services, specialising in the resources, engineering and construction sectors, with not for profit experience as the Chair of Red Nose Australia and a member of The Fathering Project Board.
Heatley also has two young daughters participating in netball at the Matthews Netball Centre on a Saturday morning and can be found on the sidelines playing a team role.
Grylls, who will step in to fill a casual vacancy, brings a wealth of knowledge in community development in regional areas after 16 years as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia and the 13th Leader of the National Party in Western Australia.
Grylls also played a significant role in the development of the transformational Gold Industry Group funding arrangement for netball in Western Australia.
Netball WA President, Grant Robinson, welcomed the duo to the Board.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a wealth of knowledge and experience on the Netball WA Board, and on behalf of the sport, I would like to formally welcome Craig and Brendon to the Board of Directors,” Robinson said.
“I would also like to thank Marita and Julie for their immense dedication and passion they have shown during their terms; our sport is in a better place for having had them serve on our Board.”
“With one vacancy now remaining, the Board is currently seeking candidates for a two-year appointed Director position in the area of Marketing and Technology, with further information available on the Netball WA website.”
“I would again like to make mention of our Associations and Clubs, who work tirelessly to make our sport so successful. We understand that our current environment is a challenging one, and we know that we will get through this tough time stronger together.”
“I would also like to thank our community and our partners for your ongoing commitment and support in 2019 and, most importantly, right now as we face one of our greatest challenges.”
“Lastly, thank you to the Netball WA staff. Led by CEO Simon Taylor, our staff are our greatest asset, they define our organisation, they are family and we thank them for their dedication to netball in Western Australia.”
“As we look back on 2019 with fond memories and a sense of pride with all that was achieved, I understand the current climate is a challenging one for all involved. Nonetheless I am confident we will come through this together and that netball will be back on court stronger than ever as soon as possible.”
