Casey deputy mayor Rob Wilson is hoping to add elite netball, basketball and baseball sides to the region’s growing list of top-level sporting teams.By Marc McGowan
CASEY’S burgeoning elite sporting representation appears set for further expansion with councillor Rob Wilson hoping to establish or relocate elite netball, basketball and baseball sides for the region.
The idea is in its infancy, but will excite local sports fans after the successful transition of relocated teams the Casey Scorpions and Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club.
The municipality also boasts Women’s Premier League soccer franchise the Casey Comets, and the Berwick Miners, who compete in the state’s top gridiron competition.
“The first one I’m looking at is netball because a new competition will be starting with teams from Australia and New Zealand,” Cr Wilson said.
“(Champion Australian netballer) Liz Ellis was in Geelong over Easter and said an area like Geelong could or should at some stage be able to have a team in the top-level competition.
“Casey leaves Greater Geelong for dead as far as population, so as a city we are big enough that we should be having those teams.”
The lofty ambitions have been tempered somewhat since discussions with Netball Victoria, and Cr Wilson has instead taken aim at creating a Casey team in the State League competition.
“I was told that we wouldn’t get a team in the international competition straight away, so I changed the notice of motion to the highest available – which is State League,” he said.
“I received an indication that we could some day have a team in the higher competition. Anything is possible in this world.”
The councillor’s enthusiasm for the venture may encounter some hurdles with local netball identities voicing concern at the push.
Respected Doveton coach Bob Dodd, who has coached local sides for 27 years, believes the proposal has some merit, but warned that a strong infrastructure must be in place for it to succeed.
“I think it’s viable, but it will take a lot of work to put together. It won’t be cheap,” he said.
“I’ve always been a believer that if you build it they will come.
“But like everything, if there is no venue there is nowhere to take them, if there is no infrastructure there is nothing to offer and if there is not a decent coach there is no one to teach them.”
Cr Wilson has considered these variables, particularly whether new facilities or upgrades to present structures would be necessary.
“We will just have to wait for the report on that. There are plenty of netball courts in Casey, so we will just wait and see,” he said.
Possibly the biggest critic to Cr Wilson’s motion is Gippsland Storm coach Simon O’Shanassy, who is in his third year at the club and has been involved with the sport for more than two decades.
The Storm already competes in netball’s State League competition and has the most to lose from the introduction of a Casey side.
“It will produce a conflict of interest in respect to where we’d be drawing our players from,” O’Shanassy said.
“It would be opening up a pathway to more players, but the purpose is to identify elite netballers for the competition.
“That’s what State League netball is about, so opening more avenues for players would not strengthen the competition.”
O’Shanassy’s fledgling team already struggles financially without a sponsor and he believes this situation would become more dire with the addition of another local club.
“Netball has the highest participation rate in Australia yet draws the least amount of funding,” he said.
“We are struggling and have players paying for petrol, their uniforms, the hire of courts, fees, and from a financial point of view a new Casey team would make it that bit harder.”
To further complicate the situation, Gippsland has held talks about a possible merger with fellow State League side Peninsula.
The council will investigate the opportunities for potential sporting teams over the next few months.
