Star power: Isabella Atkinson (left) and Summer Atkinson (right) pose with Australian Diamonds star Donnell Wallam at the Budgies National Indigenous Netball Carnival.
A five-day netball carnival has paved the way for five regional netball stars to showcase their talent on the national stage.
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Jazz Warde, Kayli Henderson, Jayda Wanganeen, Isabella Atkinson and Summer Atkinson donned the Victorian state representative netball kit at the Budgies National Indigenous Netball Carnival in mid-January.
They were among 70 First Nations netballers selected to take to the court for Victoria, representing a cross-section of the state’s eight teams.
Good form: Kayli Henderson took to the court for Victoria.
Henderson and Isabella Atkinson were picked to compete for the under-12 netball side, while Ward, Wanganeen and Summer Atkinson represented the under-14s.
The tournament was particularly exciting for Warde, Henderson, Atkinson (Summer), and Wanganeen who trialled successfully for the Australian Budgies netball side.
The annual competition also provides an opportunity for First Nations netballers to connect with players from other states, something Victoria has been doing since 2015.
“We heard about Budgies and the Australian Indigenous Championships and thought it was an amazing opportunity for the kids,” Victorian Indigenous Netball co-founder Karen Albon said.
“It soon became apparent there was a lack of representation from Victoria while we were there (in 2015), so we decided to give this a go and provide an opportunity for all young Indigenous netball players from Victoria.”
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