By Stephanie Smarrelli
For Sofia and her little sister Lucy, netball is more than just a sport.
When they trek down to the asphalt courts at the local primary school in Melbourne’s northern suburbs on Fridays after school it’s a place where they feel at home.
Sofia, 10, and her sister Lucy, 7, both take part in Woolworths NetSetGO with coaches from the Northern Football Netball League (NFNL).
And if there’s one thing Sofia loves about her coaches the most, it’s the fact they “make everything fair”.
“If I want to play with one of my friends they sometimes put us together but also make us verse each other because we have to learn how to play against our friends but they make it fair and fun,” she said.
Her little sister Lucy only started Woolworths NetSetGO this year, but claims she’s already hooked.
“I started because I really like netball at school and I like making new friends,” she said.
The coaches who the sisters spoke fondly of also heaped praise on the youngsters they get to coach, including NFNL head coach Kiarah Acquaviva.
“I love the kids, they’re great. Their little faces when they figure out how to do something or how to catch the ball without stepping or they get that goal in, just makes me happy,” she said.
Acquaviva, a biomedical science student, said she enjoys the change from her everyday routine that coaching Woolworths NetSetGO provides.
"I’ve done some research into rural areas and how they struggle without a sport and how sport builds up those communities so contributing to that here is fun,” she said.
Acquaviva has been involved in netball since primary school and has since transitioned from playing into umpiring, coaching and mentoring other coaches and umpires for the league.
Her love for Woolworths NetSetGO stems from her childhood and passion for the sport with Acquaviva first deciding to coach the program early last year.
Lucy and Sofia love the encouragement they receive from their coaches Grace, Alice and Kiarah.“It was one of the best parts of playing for me, I did Woolworths NetSetGO when I started which is really cool that I get to coach it now,” she said.
“For me there’s been a drop off since covid in the number of kids playing netball and the number of teams we have in our under nines and under elevens, so I enjoy working to help feed those to grow it back up again.”
As a coach, the program has also provided personal development for her.
“Coaching Woolworths NetSetGO has made me more patient and more willing to take an extra breath,” she said.
“In terms of netball, it’s also improved my umpiring as it’s helped in learning where the kids are at especially those under nines and under elevens.”
Acquaviva coaches the program alongside Grace and Alice, two sisters who have also been playing the sport since primary school.
Alice, who is 16 similarly, has reaped the benefits of the program.
“Coaching has helped me be more confident in leading people and my leadership skills have improved with my confidence to talk in front of others,” she said.
Aside from helping kids hone their netball skills, one of the benefits they experience is seeing children developing communication and teamwork skills.
“Teamwork is definitely a really key part, they’re learning how to be a bit more resilient so if a goal doesn’t go in that’s okay, we try again,” Acquaviva said.
“Giving everyone a fair go so making sure everyone gets to participate is a big part of it too.”
For those unsure about joining the program, Aquaviva had one message.
“Definitely give it a go, it’s a great opportunity for your kid to learn a new sport and meet a bunch of new people,” she said.
“It’s always great for kids to have more friends and netball as a sport is amazing for that. I’ve got friends that I made back in primary school from it... it’s definitely a lifelong sport.”
