The Cowra Netball Association is celebrating a major boost after receiving a surprise $15,000 donation during a special visit from international netball star Jo Harten, who ran an interactive NetSetGO Clinic for children and a hands-on coaching workshop for local coaches. The event brought together young players aged 5-10 and volunteer coaches for an afternoon of learning, inspiration and practical skill building. The association described the visit as an invaluable opportunity for the community. Cowra Netball Association president Renee Thompson said the experience far exceeded expectations. “It was just such an awesome opportunity for Cowra and everyone to have someone like Jo there,” Thompson said. “She did some really good stuff with the little kids that did turn up.” “I think they had a really good time.” “The few coaches that came along to the coaching clinic, I think got a lot out of it as well.” “It was very, very hands on and interactive,” she said. But the biggest surprise came when a giant cheque was suddenly revealed. Thompson said the committee had been told a “surprise” was coming but had no idea of its size or significance. “We knew that there was something happening,” Thompson said. “We had been told by Netball NSW that they had a surprise for us, but they would not tell us anything.” “So we had absolutely no idea.” Moments before the presentation, a whisper circulated among the volunteers that a cheque might be involved but nothing prepared them for the final announcement. “When that big check came out with $15,000 on it, we were genuinely shocked,” Thompson said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ we definitely weren’t expecting that.” The Cowra Netball Association has not yet held its committee meeting to formally decide how the funds will be spent, but early ideas are already emerging, all focused on strengthening participation at the youngest levels of the sport. “A few ideas have been thrown around,” Thompson said. “Personally, what I’d like to see it spent on is new equipment.” She said the association had seen a highly successful year in its NetSetGO program, the entry level age group essential for developing future senior players. “Once upon a time, many years ago, there were large numbers in those really young age groups, which you need to then filter through to the older age groups,” she said. “We had quite a successful year with that, so we want to stock up on decent equipment that all the players can use, particularly the younger ones, to try and attract them to the sport.” There is also discussion about using a portion of the donation to help reduce registration fees for younger players. “There has been talk of whether we might use some of it to reduce the fees for the younger ones next year,” Thompson said. “Netball NSW has quite a large fee for that young age group, and whether that’s been deterring people from signing up.” She emphasised that no final decisions have been made, but the association is excited about the possibilities. Alongside the special clinic and the unexpected donation, the netball community has another reason to celebrate. The spring Twilight competition has more than doubled in size this year. “Tonight will be our eighth and final round of our spring Twilight comp, which has been a massive success,” Thompson said. “We had six senior teams in our comp earlier in the year and we ended up with 14.” “It was way bigger than we expected.” The association hopes to continue building on that momentum going into next year.
