Sport
10 March, 2022
Netball legend visits Mareeba
MAREEBA netball players got the chance to learn from the best of the best as revered ex-Australian player Vicki Wilson made the trip up north last Friday as part of the Marlin Coast Netball selection clinics.
Wilson visited the Innisfail, Mareeba and Cairns areas over the end of last week for the selection clinics with 55 players, coaches and umpires registering to attend across the three clinics.
At the conclusion of the clinics, players were invited to join their local Marlin Coast academy squads, with others having been invited to join the Marlin Coast Squad.
Mareeba Netball Association president Michelle Cifuentes said it was invaluable to have someone of Wilson’s calibre in Mareeba on Friday.
“She is an internationally accredited coach, she has coached around the world and currently she is the assistant coach for the Sunshine Coast Lighting,” she said.
“Having anyone of that calibre coming to a small association like ours is an amazing resource.
“The kids are really getting an opportunity they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise up here.”
Ms Wilson was part of the Australian national netball team for 15 years after making her debut in 1985, she went on to become captain and lead the side to win their first ever gold medal at the 1999 Commonwealth Games.
She then retired after bringing Australia to a one-point win in the World Championship finals before taking on coaching duties with the Queensland Firebirds and Fiji sides.
Ms Wilson has been visiting the far north for over 30 years, and this year was the second time she stopped into Mareeba for a visit. Her first visit was around five years ago for the Mareeba State High School sports presentation night.
“For me it’s about a sense of community and how you can contribute – I’ve been coming to regional Queensland for over 30 years,” she said.
“I’ve always enjoyed it, I’ve always had strong connections with the people and that’s what I really enjoy.
“I enjoy developing those strong relationships and also see the joy on kids faces at the end when they finish a session or the coaches finish a session and they enjoy it but they’ve also learnt something.”
