Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
It’s not hard to stay active in a place like Tamborine Mountain with its many sprawling bushwalks through beautiful nature. However, for those who require a little more of a social element to their fitness, the mountain certainly isn’t lacking in its options either. Today we look at the Tamborine Mountain Netball Club, an organisation with quite a lot more to offer than some people might think. We sit down with club president Michael Taylor to break down some of the preconceived notions of netball and set straight just how diverse and engaging it can be.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How long have you been president of the Tamborine Mountain Netball Club?
For three years now. Previously to that I was secretary for two or three years, so I’ve been involved for a while.
How did you get involved with the club?
I’ve got four daughters who all play netball. Some people have got the time and abilities for coaching and those sorts of things. I don’t, I’m not a netballer, so what I can offer is some support with governance and management.
Can you explain how the club works? What levels of skill does it cater to?
There’s netball available for people who just want to be social and play with their friends or who are just beginning and then we’ve got players who go on and play at a more competitive level. That’s within the club, further than that, if people have the capabilities and the desire to go on, there’s opportunities to play at a representative level for the south coast, the hinterland district, even Queensland, depending on how far they can go. It caters to all levels of skill. The Saturday netball limits people to being at school level, whereas the social netball is for anyone over the age of 13. We have people playing into their 60s and 70s.
Is there an element of volunteer work?
All of our positions in the club are volunteer positions. From fundraising, to all the coaches and coaching coordinators, the treasurer, the secretary, the registrar, they’re all volunteers, as well as the umpires. The umpires are all juniors who are players themselves. We have a wonderful umpire development program. It’s the same way with coaches, we have kids wanting to learn how to coach, and the more senior and experienced coaches take them under their wing. There’s a real attitude of giving back into the club, from the parents who teach the kids and then the kids teach other kids, it’s a really good organic development process.
There is a common perception that netball is a female-exclusive sport. Is there a significant male presence in the club?
It certainly does cater for boys and men too. On a Wednesday we have about eight social teams and they all have male players on them. There’s fathers and brothers who’ve watched their wives, girlfriends, or kids playing and gotten involved themselves. It’s one of those sports where it’s not about size and strength, it’s about skill, and that’s what makes it a very good sport for equal gender representation.
What kind of skills can people, especially children, learn from netball?
Obviously, they’ll learn the physical skills, fitness and movement. There’s a lot of spatial awareness on a netball court too. Then from the social side of things, you are learning how to work in a team, how to encourage and get the most out of each other and how to work together to succeed. In a team sport like netball, people learn how to not just be the best on the team but be the best for the team.
How far do you have to travel for games?
We train every Thursday on the mountain. Every Saturday we play down at Mudgeeraba, where the association is, so we’re not travelling to a hundred different locations every week. We do also have three or four carnivals throughout the year. We hosted last year’s Scenic Rim carnival here and we rotate that between ourselves, Beechmont, Boonah and Beaudesert.
What is the cost to join the club?
It’s about $330 a year and we have an early bird discount as well. The fees cover the presentation at the end of the year and all the registrations that we have to pay, also all the umpiring fees as well as training shirts and all the equipment we need. There’s no additional costs aside from optional carnivals.
What’s the average age range of club members?
With the Saturday NetSetGO and junior competitions, we have players as young as 5 in the tiny tots division right up to 18 year olds.
What goes into the average day at the club?
On Saturday each week you play at the same time so it’s easy to coordinate your day around that. There’s netball going on all day with a game starting every hour from 8am through to about 2pm. It’s a very carnival atmosphere, there’s food vans, a barbecue going on, a canteen, as well as lots of social interaction. On a Thursday, the NetSetGo and junior teams train after school at around 3:30 and then the older teams after 4:30.
Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the area and community?
When we moved here about 15 years ago, we were after community more than anything else. We’ve been heavily involved in the schools and P&Cs, the athletics clubs and netball clubs… There’s so many sporting and social opportunities here. It’s one place where it has that old-world feel to it where those values matter.
What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?
There’s some fantastic wineries. We have a lot of friends who love coming up here to explore. We do a fair amount of bushwalking and we like to take our friends to see the wineries, breweries, coffee shops, things like that. There’s a lot of nice places to sit and socialise after you do the bushwalks and waterfalls.
What do you think Tamborine Mountain Netball Club really provides to the area?
It gives children a safe environment to run around and get fit but also it provides an opportunity for people to socialise in a team environment that’s as competitive as they want it to be. Some of my children’s best friends they’ve met through netball. That’s true for all ages, even the parents. It’s just a good way to meet people you wouldn’t normally bump into.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
For me, it’s an opportunity to spend time with my kids. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine where everyone goes to their own room and does their own thing, whereas when we’re down on a Saturday, I’m there all day and it gives plenty of time to chat and spend that time interacting with them.
Tamborine Mountain Netball Club
400 LONG RD, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN QLD 4272
www.facebook.com/TamborineMountainNetballClub/
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
