Plea on male netballer: 'Please stick up for me and all girls who play in girls' competitions'
9:13 am - 06/21/2012
MEMBERS of a junior netball club have slammed a VCAT decision to allow a 185-centimetre tall, 13-year-old boy interim permission to play in an all-girls' competition.
Despite Netball Victoria discouraging teams from speaking out, the coach, parents and players from one of the boy's rival teams, St Therese's of Essendon, say it would be a disaster if VCAT made the ruling permanent that boys can play in the 15 and under matches.
They fear it would smash girls' confidence on court, and spell an end to girls having the choice to play in a team of their own gender. St Therese's head coach Dianne McCormack wrote to The Age saying it was not a personal comment on the boy, who plays for Banyule in the Parkville Netball association's 15 and under C Grade.
The boy and his father have taken Netball Victoria to VCAT, saying the boy was discriminated against under the Equal Opportunity Act. At a hearing on May 30, the application was adjourned to September and the boy was granted permission to play in the meantime.
Netball Victoria has declined to comment. But Ms McCormack said St Therese's players were ''devastated'' at the decision and some have commented on a Facebook page, Support for All Girls Netball Comps.
''As the head coach, we train our girls to play a physical, defensive and confident game of netball, which they do not feel that they can do with a male on court,'' Ms McCormack said.
''At the sensitive age of 13, reaching puberty and being so body conscious, our girls are faced with modifying their game to eliminate or reduce body contact, when they didn't sign up for a mixed competition.
''It's unfair and it puts the girls under pressure when it should not be there in the first place.'' Ms McCormack said a final ruling in the boy's favour by VCAT ''may change netball forever, and open it up for boys to play at all levels of competitions''.
A St Therese's C-Grade player, Ally, 12, has written to the sports minister and Netball Victoria saying that when she played against the boy in the 13 and under competition, ''no one wanted to play a strong defence because it meant you had to put your body up against his''.
Ally said when she got older she might want to play mixed, ''but now I just want to play against other girls''. ''Most boys I know are already bigger and stronger than me.
''Please stick up for me and all girls who play in girls' competitions. I don't think it's fair for any boy to take away my right and any girl's right to play in an all-girls' competition.''
The boy's father told The Age that boys were allowed to play in 13 and under competitions. His son turned 13 in May and at Parkville was playing ''up an age group'' in the 15 and unders.
''Also there are no boys-only competitions for boys at this age,'' he said.
''I'd also be very happy to engage with the St Therese's people if they would like to.
''There's a tiny minority of boys that play netball and they're not catered for. It's like telling a girl if she wants to play rugby she should join a girls' rugby team; there isn't one.''
Source
Despite Netball Victoria discouraging teams from speaking out, the coach, parents and players from one of the boy's rival teams, St Therese's of Essendon, say it would be a disaster if VCAT made the ruling permanent that boys can play in the 15 and under matches.
They fear it would smash girls' confidence on court, and spell an end to girls having the choice to play in a team of their own gender. St Therese's head coach Dianne McCormack wrote to The Age saying it was not a personal comment on the boy, who plays for Banyule in the Parkville Netball association's 15 and under C Grade.
The boy and his father have taken Netball Victoria to VCAT, saying the boy was discriminated against under the Equal Opportunity Act. At a hearing on May 30, the application was adjourned to September and the boy was granted permission to play in the meantime.
Netball Victoria has declined to comment. But Ms McCormack said St Therese's players were ''devastated'' at the decision and some have commented on a Facebook page, Support for All Girls Netball Comps.
''As the head coach, we train our girls to play a physical, defensive and confident game of netball, which they do not feel that they can do with a male on court,'' Ms McCormack said.
''At the sensitive age of 13, reaching puberty and being so body conscious, our girls are faced with modifying their game to eliminate or reduce body contact, when they didn't sign up for a mixed competition.
''It's unfair and it puts the girls under pressure when it should not be there in the first place.'' Ms McCormack said a final ruling in the boy's favour by VCAT ''may change netball forever, and open it up for boys to play at all levels of competitions''.
A St Therese's C-Grade player, Ally, 12, has written to the sports minister and Netball Victoria saying that when she played against the boy in the 13 and under competition, ''no one wanted to play a strong defence because it meant you had to put your body up against his''.
Ally said when she got older she might want to play mixed, ''but now I just want to play against other girls''. ''Most boys I know are already bigger and stronger than me.
''Please stick up for me and all girls who play in girls' competitions. I don't think it's fair for any boy to take away my right and any girl's right to play in an all-girls' competition.''
The boy's father told The Age that boys were allowed to play in 13 and under competitions. His son turned 13 in May and at Parkville was playing ''up an age group'' in the 15 and unders.
''Also there are no boys-only competitions for boys at this age,'' he said.
''I'd also be very happy to engage with the St Therese's people if they would like to.
''There's a tiny minority of boys that play netball and they're not catered for. It's like telling a girl if she wants to play rugby she should join a girls' rugby team; there isn't one.''
Source
o rly
Maybe the coach will be smart and keep him benched. Just...gah.
heh
heh heh
oh
you're serious?
I also do feel for this kid. This is the one who is a state rep for Victoria right? To be a male playing netball is a HUGE step against the status quo. I have tons of respect for this boy because the amount of shit he would get for playing a 'girl's game' cannot be understated. I just don't think the girls should have to suffer so he gets to play. He can play in the men's comps.
FTR as a teenage girl I did play in a mixed comp (voluntarily. It was advertised as such) It was an all girls team full of rep players, with two boys who had never played before (so the girls were the best players and we played the most important positions on the field) We were some of the best players in our region, five girls went onto play state. We did well, (fourth from memory) but it was hard. It probably made us better players. But even at U14s the male pitchers were faster than anything we'd ever seen before.
eta: I accidentally a word.
Edited at 2012-06-21 04:14 am (UTC)
Side eyeing that SO hard. I feel for those little girls.
/snark