How community support won club $20K

By Stephanie Smarrelli 

Nestled in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, the Epping Football Netball Club has a rich history. 

The Pingers, as the locals know them, were established way back in 1895, but the club’s Woolworth’s NetSetGO program is still in its infancy. 

Having only been introduced as part of the club’s netball offering in 2022, that didn’t stop the footy netball community rallying behind the program earlier this year when the club submitted a grant application for Woolworths Pick Fresh, Play Fresh Grants. 

And it was well worth it, because the power of the community’s support resulted in the club winning the $20,000 People’s Choice Award from Woolworths. 

Not only did they win, they blitzed the competition with a whopping 17,000 votes cast for the Epping Football Netball Club.  

Junior Netball Coordinator Meaghan Coyle was stoked when she found out the club had won. 

“We've got a fantastic community at Epping Football Netball Club,” Coyle said. 

“We asked and they delivered, we promoted our entry on our social media channels. We had posters in the club rooms encouraging people to vote. We asked our parents to vote after every game and we reached out to our social networks and work contacts.  

“We're so grateful for the support they've given the club and grateful to Woolworths for this opportunity to grow our junior netball and Woolworths NetSetGO program.” 

Coyle expressed how the $20,000 grant is already making an impact at the club and growing their junior netball program. 

“We've been able to provide scholarships for Woolworths NetSetGO participants, we're paying the cost of their registration and uniforms so that's two less things parents have to be forking out for,” she said. 

“We've put in scholarships for our nine and under team because we're excited to have that netball pathway set up for our Woolworths NetSetGO kids to move into their junior netball career. 

“We've been providing healthy snacks at training for participants and we're investing in some lighting so that we can train safer at our current venue when it starts to get dark.”  

The club has experienced incredible growth since beginning its junior netball offering. 

“We started with about 14 kids and two teams,” Coyle said reflecting on 2022. 

“We’ve just finished our winter junior netball competition and had three teams and now we're looking at having seven teams in our summer competition which is exponential growth. 

"We've also doubled the number of Woolworths NetSetGO participants we have, it's a really exciting time for the club we're growing, we're developing and this support from Woolworths is a game changer.”  

Reaping the benefits of the Woolworths Pick Fresh, Play Fresh grant, Coyle urged other clubs to put their hand up for more opportunities.  

“Sometimes it feels like submitting a grant application can be a bit of a barrier, but it is so worth it,” she said. 

“We threw our hat in the ring, and it paid off big time.  

“It's worth investing the time in writing grant applications, there's so much support available from sporting club organisations, community groups and councils. There's plenty of resources available to help you write an application, throw your hat in the ring you never know what's going to happen.” 

Woolworths NetSetGO ambassador Cath Cox visited Epping Football Netball Club to spend some time with the program’s participants. 

“I can't speak highly enough of the Woolworths NetSetGO program,” Cox said. 

“It's important for our kids to be involved in sport to be active but the program also encourages education around eating well to set kids up for great futures by knowing how to be active and how to look after their bodies in the right way.” 

Cox highlighted the benefits the grants program has to local netball communities. 

“It benefits the entire community by bringing it together through team sport but also by taking a little bit of the pressure off families financially,” she said. 

"The netball grants allow the clubs to be able to support their junior players, they allow them to get to training and help them with healthy food choices as well." 

Cox commented on the relationship between Woolworths and netball. 

“Woolworths have been involved with netball since 2018 and they've given over $1.4 million to grassroots, which is fantastic,” she said. 

“And they've done it by contributing to more than 321 clubs right across the country.” 

Earlier this year Melbourne Vixen’s eleventh player, Emily Andrew also made her way to the club to spend some time with Epping’s Woolworth’s NetSetGO participants. 

“It's amazing seeing all these young girls getting into netball,” she said. 

“When I was their age, I was absolutely in love with coming to netball, hanging out with my friends and meeting amazing coaches. 

“I'm at the elite level now, but this is where it all starts, it's amazing to see these girls getting together and having a laugh while learning great skills. 

“Epping Football Netball Club are a very worthy recipient; I've loved hanging out with all the girls.”