Netball is generally a sport of proximity. You play for the club down the road, with the girls you’ve known since prep. But at St Kilda City (STKC), those norms bend in every way.
In true St Kilda essence, the netballers of STKC have come from everywhere. It may be the one place in Australia where you’d see a local train driver, teacher, environmentalist, farmer and financial analyst high-fiving each other. Add a few UK girls on working holiday visas, and you have a roster born from the transient chaos of the suburb itself. Yet, with little in common except the Queen’s English and a love of netball, there is an honest sense of ease and community.
Before every game at the Peanut Farm Reserve, there is a moment when arms link, heads drop in, and the coach’s voice cuts through the salty St Kilda wind. Nothing outside that cerulean blue netball court exists, because in that moment players become one.
“I just love how it’s [St Kilda City] like a country netball club, but in the city. Everyone just looks out for one another. Even the UK girls who come over, most come back for a second season,” says a STKC netballer.
St Kilda has a distinct magic, frequented by surfers, musicians and travellers — and that’s just a Thursday night training! The magic isn’t just that they all found their way here. It’s that none of them left themselves at the gate.
Stroll down to the Peanut Farm on a Saturday morning and watch any STKC team. By half-time, each player’s individuality comes through on court.
Take Ash, a capable chef, goal attack and Peninsula girl. She has an astuteness and zen under pressure that could only be gained from the chaos of a fast-paced hospitality environment, honed by her coastal roots.
Or Chelsea, a wing defence who works in finance. Forever three moves ahead, she treats possession like a good investment stock. By the time anyone else spots the opportunity, she has already strategised, gained possession and offloaded.
Then there’s Elle, English and back at STKC for a second season, one of many Brits to join the ranks. Packing up your life to travel takes a massive leap of faith, and that fearlessness shows in how Elle plays goal keeper, flying through the air to knock the long ball out of harm’s way and disrupt the feed. All with a smile.
What stands out most is one common ritual. No matter the result, every player sits down for a beverage and a chat.
That is what community is: showing up as an individual and making space for each other as you are. Not being the same, but seeing what someone else brings and being better for it. In STKC’s Team 4, it’s Ash’s composure, Chelsea’s foresight and Elle’s fearlessness.
In a sport where space is usually the whole battle, the netballers at STKC have found the opposite is true. There is always room in the circle at the Peanut Farm.
Featured image above: STKC goal defence steadying the goal keeper to stop her overbalancing while contesting the shot. Photo credit: @photo.ishtar (Instagram)
