Cranbourne netballer Tara Cecil is jumping for joy after being named in two state teams in the last month. 19998 By Marc McGowan
CRANBOURNE Netball Club is appealing to the community for help in supporting its rising stars.
Many sporting clubs call for monetary assistance for individual players, but Eagles’ netball president Veronica Banner said they were hoping to develop a scholarship fund that would provide ongoing backing for their brightest talents.
“We do have quite a few younger girls coming up that have a fair bit of talent,” she said.
“We’d like to see people from the local area offering support for a sport that is very hard to get into on the professional side of it.”
The idea stemmed from 14-year-old Cranbourne goal defence Tara Cecil’s selection in the Australasian Catholic Netball Association side last year.
Cecil has continued to make huge strides in the sport, being named in the Victorian Secondary Schools’ Sports Association team a month ago and the Victorian under-16 Catholic Netball Association squad on Saturday night.
The Year 9 Cranbourne Secondary College student will head to Adelaide for both national tournaments, with the former held in August and the latter in September.
Cranbourne Netball Club will provide $200 for Cecil’s trips, while Casey councillor Steve Beardon matched the amount out of his own pocket.
Cecil’s mother Julie is extremely appreciative of the assistance.
“Being a single parent, it is such a great achievement to get into these things, but it is expensive and any help at all is fantastic,” she said.
“Tara’s achieved a few things in her short career so far and it’s fantastic every time she does it – it’s a proud moment for her parents.”
Cecil, who also plays in the State League Division Three competition for Palladians on Tuesday nights, is thrilled with her success.
“It was one of my big aims to make these teams,” the 2007 MPNFL Casey-Cardinia netball league under-15 best and fairest winner said.
“I’ve played netball for so long – since I was eight or nine – and I just love it.”
On top of the club’s support, Cecil has been busy fundraising and fitting in four trips to the netball court a week.
The combined cost of the two trips is expected to be about $3000, hence Banner’s eagerness for the public’s support.
“If we can get some money, we’d like to spread it over a couple of girls and build up a bit of a kitty,” she said.
“There are a lot of expenses involved – flights, accommodation, etcetera – and anything we can get would give the girls a big help in the long run.
“Tara certainly has got talent and it would be great if we could help someone go further in the sport.”
If any local businesses are interested in providing financial support for Cranbourne Netball Club’s young players, Veronica Banner can be contacted on 0438 985 102.
