Eumemmerring College students Nicole Robinson and Ashleigh Murray model their new Kea uniforms with director of netball Rhonda Johnstone at the launch of the school’s partnership with the sportswear brand last Friday. 19904 Picture: Luke Plummer.By Marc McGowan
NETBALL was the big winner last Friday when Eumemmerring College and sportswear brand Kea announced they had joined forces.
The Hallam high school runs an innovative sports academy and approached Kea 18 months ago about sponsoring its netball program that began this year.
Australian Rules football, cricket, rugby league, basketball and soccer are also catered for at Eumemmerring College.
Kea has designed personalised uniforms for the school’s netballers and will provide monetary support when it plays tournaments.
Eumemmerring College director of netball, Rhonda Johnstone, who played the sport at an elite level for Melbourne and Palladians, is delighted with the partnership.
“It’s absolutely wonderful; Kea has been superb all the way through,” she said.
The netballers train for two hours on Wednesday afternoons at the City of Berwick Netball Association courts on Frawley Road and spend another five hours a week studying off-court preparation, including sports science and nutrition.
Kea general manager David Johnson said the professionalism of the sports academy and the chance to strengthen its relationship with the youth market appealed to his company.
“We’re very focused on netball, with our background with the Australian netball team, and working with young people is the number-one benefit,” he said.
“We’re really driven by our association with young people and the energy they bring.”
Johnson also revealed that Kea would hold classes for the school’s textile students next year. The sponsorship announcement is part of what looms as an exciting 2008 for Eumemmerring College’s netball program.
The netballers are competing in the Waverley International this week and a two-day tour of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has also been booked in for September.
Johnstone and the school’s high performance netball coach Gillian Lee, an ex-AIS coach and now State League side Monash University Central’s mentor, are keen for the students to receive a taste of the pinnacle of their sport.
“If the trip works, I would actually like it to be taken on board for the whole of the sports academy and send everyone – the footballers, rugby players, soccer players, cricketers and basketballers as well – to see what it’s like at the elite level,” Johnstone said.
“None of these girls have got to that elite level as yet and Gill and I would both like them to see what you have to sacrifice, but they’re not really sacrifices because after you look at what you get out of them the sacrifices are insignificant.”
Johnstone and Lee are also hoping that a few of the school’s netballers can trial with Monash University Central or fellow State League team the Gippsland Storm in the near future.
“I’ve been teaching for 20-plus years and I have a new lease on life (since becoming involved with the sports academy),” Johnstone said.
“I’ve been at Eumemmerring since 1999, but this is my first year in the sports side of things.”
