Eddy makes her mark in PNG

By Elizabeth Winter

Melbourne Vixens defender Kate Eddy was welcomed with open arms by the Papua New Guinea (PNG) community as part of Team Up’s One Netball program, supported by the Australian Government.

Eddy spent a few days in PNG connecting with the local community; including clinics with young netballers, students, teachers, parents, and coaches. The experience was filled with learning, laughter, and of course, a shared love of netball.

Currently pursuing a degree in education, with experience engaging netball communities in Australia, Eddy was excited from the outset to inspire the PNG community to either start or build on their existing netball journey.

“Netball is the epitome of a team sport, you can’t play as an individual. At the Melbourne Vixens, we have such a big value on family and being united,” Eddy said.

“Coming to Papua New Guinea has been so special to see you can pick up a netball anywhere in the world and create a community.”

FOSTERING AND NURTURING TALENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Eddy kicked off the trip with a visit to Lea Lea Village Primary School, running a clinic alongside the One Netball coaches to support the school children’s development and engagement in netball.

After the opportunity to hear the beautiful voices of the students through a welcoming song, Eddy witnessed the children's skills, confidence, and smiles grow throughout the netball activities. 

“Hopefully the games and skills we taught will stay with the kids for a while to utilise.” 

The benefits from this session were mutual for both the children and Eddy herself.

“This was such a learning experience for me to be come out and share my knowledge with the community in Lea Lea. Hopefully the games and skills we taught will stay with the kids for a while to utilise,” she said.

Hoi Isaiah, President for Hiri Koiari Netball Association, where Lea Lea Village is based, commented on what this meant for the local children at the school.

“We’re so privileged for this once in a lifetime opportunity, netball connects strongly with communities and the children are so excited,” Isaiah said.

“The participants and teachers will have this day in the calendar for many years – they won’t forget it.”

Gender Equality is a key focus of the Team Up program, promoting sport as an opportunity for women and girls enjoy all the benefits of sport in a safe and inclusive environment. As an elite female athlete, Eddy’s visit reinforced that netball is a sport that can be enjoyed by all members of the community.

“Netball and rugby are the primary sports children play and helps to balance the diversity of sports,” Isaiah said.

“We have managed to get boys playing netball and girls playing rugby, and hope to continue having mixed teams.”

CELEBRATING INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

Eddy’s time in PNG coincided with International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which Netball PNG commemorated with a collaborative workshop between Netball Australia, Team Up and WaterAid in Pari Village, Port Moresby.

The workshop was adapted to include people with disabilities, structured around One Netball’s ‘Come and Play’ program, creating a supportive environment to learn, share, and develop life skills through sport.

One Netball coaches, led by Winnie Mavara, opened the program by covering personal hygiene and leadership skills, after which Eddy helped deliver netball based drills and games.

The U15 Development Squad netballers in Port Moresby joined in the netball session, working with participants of all abilities to create a co-supportive environment.

Eddy was inspired by the collaborative effort from the broader community on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

“Netball is a sport for everybody, and hopefully that’s the message we imparted today,” Eddy said.

In a touching moment, Varo Matagu, one of the participants who is deaf and non-speaking, gifted Eddy a hand-sewn traditional dress called a 'Meri Blouse' to show her appreciation for Eddy visiting her village, the gift was received with immense gratitude by the defender.

Simon Kwalahu, Chairperson for People with Disabilities in Pari Village, noted the importance of getting people with disabilities involved in sport.

“Currently we are doing more to be inclusive, leaving no one behind, no matter what your impairments or disabilities are, everyone deserves to be involved in sport,” he said.

Brooke Connolly, Team Up program manager for Netball Australia, echoed Kwalahu’s thoughts.

“Inclusion is in our hearts, it’s in our minds. Sport is meant to be inclusive for everyone and today, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, is significant for this reason,” she said.

ENGAGING IN PNG’S NETBALL COMMUNITY  

Eddy was welcomed with sheer joy from the country’s aspiring netballers. This included the U15, U17, and U21 National Development Squads, who had the opportunity to work with Eddy at Sir John Guise Stadium in a netball clinic.

Eddy leant her knowledge in injury prevention, effective warmups and skill-set specific drills during a clinic with the country’s rising stars from PNG’s U15s, U17s, and U21s development squads.

U17 Youth Development Squad athlete Sarah described how netball has taught her discipline and how to communicate with others effectively.

“I enjoyed learning the new drills with Kate, she was patient with us and it’s nice to learn new skills,” Sarah said.

“I love the friends and the people I’ve met through netball, they’ve become a big part of my life.”

COACHING DEVELOPMENT

As well as assisting with athlete development, Eddy also ran a session with coaches from PNG’s netball associations, sharing her journey as a high-performance athlete.

Winnie Mavara, Team Up Netball Coach and past PNG Pepe explained the benefits of Eddy’s advice and insights.

“Kate’s knowledge helps us develop as coaches, providing insight into what athletes need from us both on and off the court,” she said.

Eddy enjoyed supporting the PNG coaches and athletes to continue to generate strong future PNG Pepes through their development squads. 

“I would love all the coaches to continue their growth and development,” she said.

“All of the past Pepes players who are now coaches, it’s great to see them instilling their knowledge into the upcoming generation.”

PROMOTING NETBALL ACROSS PNG 

For Eddy’s final visit, she was welcomed into Hanuabada Village, on the outskirts of Port Moresby, where local children flocked to meet and play netball with the SSN athlete.

Within five minutes of Kate’s arrival and her starting to play games with the children, the group had trebled in size, with beaming faces excited to play and learn from the netball superstar.

Through exchanging experiences, Eddy shared to many why netball is so important to her, while learning about the significance of sport in PNG.

The SSN athlete emphasised how the diversity of the visit has left her with a full heart.

“This trip has been full of diversity, seeing everyone play netball, girls, boys, teachers, whole communities,” she said.

“The passion for netball here from the team and wider participants is incredible, I’m so grateful to be here and be part of this journey.”

Ulato Avei, President and Chairperson of Netball PNG, celebrated Eddy’s achievements throughout the week.

“Kate is seen as a role model and evidence for how a young woman can advance in netball,” Avei said.

“She is going to add value to netball in PNG, particularly for our Team Up program which is focused on community development, lifestyle, and health.

“We are so thankful, bringing an SSN player adds a lot of value to Netball PNG in terms of marketing, promoting ourselves in the netball community.”

 

This visit has been supported by the Australian Government through Team Up, a sport for development program aiming to ‘Transform Lives Through Sport’.

Through encouraging partnerships across Asia-Pacific, Team Up utilises sport to bring people together, champion inclusion and create opportunity.

To find out more about Netball Australia’s work in the Pacific, click here.