By Phina Newton
It's not every day the Samoan community are paid a visit from some of the world’s best netball stars.
But for some lucky locals, their dream became reality.
A cohort of Suncorp Super Netball League superstars from the Adelaide Thunderbirds travelled to Samoa where they immersed themselves in the Pacific Island culture while sharing their netball knowledge with the local Samoan community.
The tour, supported by the Australian Government's PacificAus Sports program and in partnership with Netball Australia, brought together some of the leagues elite and the local community of budding netballers.
High Performance Coordinator for Netball Samoa, Tusi Faasootau-Ale, said this was a rare opportunity for the community and they were grateful for the experience.
“Having them (the Adelaide Thunderbirds athletes) here in country is such a privilege, it really boosts the moral of our youth,” she said.
Smiles all around when Lucy Austin and Matilda Garrett are involved. The novelty of this tour was not lost on the local children either, who were lucky enough to take part. Their infectious energy and excitement was obvious to the Thunderbirds group who cherished every moment with the kids.
Thunderbirds shooter Lucy Austin experienced firsthand the emotional rollercoaster of the tour.
“Being around the kids and being able to get to know them has been my favourite part,” she said.
“Learning a bit about them, their family, their lives and then a bit of their culture as well, has been special to me.”
Her teammate, Thunderbirds defender Matilda Garrett, echoed those comments and noted how much love the children had to give.
“They give you a big hug and they tell you they love you,” she said.
There were no shortages of hugs throughout the tour. As part of the week-long tour, eight Thunderbirds squad members travelled around the island and visited several local primary schools and one high school.
The key purpose?
To ensure they reached as many children as possible and to inspire them through using the resources Netball Australia has to offer, and to build linkages with Pacific neighbours.
Pitre Bourdon, High Performance Manager for the Thunderbirds, said the players were keen to offer their netball knowledge and share their passion for the sport.
“The girls love the game, and the ability to get out there and share their knowledge and have some fun with the local school groups,” he said.
“Hopefully their (the Thunderbirds) knowledge and passion has rubbed off on them a little bit.”
According to Garrett, the response from participants was nothing but positive. She said the players involved had been extremely coachable and keen to get involved.
“That’s been something we’ve all spoken about every time we get back on the bus after a session, is just how much all the kids actually really want to learn,” she said.
As important as growing the game from a grassroots level is, building the more technical skills of people already involved in the game of netball was also a focus during the tour, which also included accreditation courses and masterclasses.
The Thunderbirds cohort also spent time with local high-performance groups and were able to spend extra time refining the skills of all involved.
Who better to learn from then the SSN's premiership team. Due to the developing nature of the game in Samoa, and most of their national players living in Australia, this experience was extra special due to the calibre of those teaching them.
“Australia is a very lucky country. These Pacific Islander countries don’t have the same resources, so for us to have the capacity to share (those resources) and grow the sport is vital,” Bourdon said.
“We would love to see more Pacific Islanders playing the game at the SSN level, if this a small step to help achieve that and attract more players to the game then fantastic, that’s what we want to do.”
One member of the U17 Samoan Netball Association Competition team, Ariel Laulala, commented on the advantage of being taught by professional players.
“It’s been really nice having the Thunderbirds here and getting to learn from them," she said.
The main objective of the tour was to encourage and provide support to the local netball community in Samoa, and the Thunderbirds definitely did that.
The group reached more than 500 people through school clinics, coaching sessions and masterclasses, and high-performance training sessions.
But it was the impact that the trip had on the Thunderbirds athletes themselves that was also powerful.
“It’s been really cool to be able to come and share what we do and how we go about it, but there’s also a lot we can take from coaching and watching these athletes too,” Garrett said.
“It’s been awesome to come out here and see all the Samoan flare that everyone has.”
It’s not just the time spent on court that they will remember, Thunderbirds training partner Tyler Orr felt a deep appreciation for the nature of the Samoan people.
Despite a language barrier, connections were still formed between the players and the children. “They’re beautiful, just as people in general, they’re so giving and so grateful for everything that we do and just happy to be here really,” she said.
“That’s something that all of us have learnt along the way, is just how grateful we can be for what we’ve got and just how kind we can be to other people.”
