THERE is a lovely irony in the fact that coach Carol Bingham has spent a decade of her life at the helm of Kangaroo Flat’s senior netball sides.After all, it was on the courts of Kangaroo Flat Primary School that Bingham experienced her first taste of the sport that has so dominated her life.In her time with the Roos in the Bendigo Football Netball League, she has stood on the sidelines calling the shots in up to four games a weekend throughout 10 winter seasons. Add to that the many more matches she has played, coached and managed at junior, senior and representative level during her career, and it’s easy to see why she lost count long ago.‘‘That must be quite a few games of netball - I’m just about ready to retire, I reckon,’’ Bingham quipped.Her netball journey began about 45 years ago, when she joined a team made up of her primary school classmates to play in the local junior competition.She enjoyed some early success with the Kangaroo Flat team, and was a stand-out goal defender by the time she reached her teenage years.Bingham was just 15 when she forced her way into Golden City Netball Association’s open representative side that competed in regular country carnivals.Over the following 15 or so years, the dominant Golden City team won many Country Week A-Grade titles, including six in a row, and Bingham was twice selected in a Victorian Country all-star line-up.Beyond that, elite netball opportunities were limited, especially for country players.‘‘There are more opportunities around for the girls now, with netball academies and talent identification programs,’’ Bingham said.‘‘People have the chance to play at a much higher level now than what we ever had.‘‘Country Week was our pinnacle and that was it - now they can go to Melbourne for State League or play in the Regional State League at the Flora Hill Stadium.‘‘A lot of local teams use that it as a pre-season, so the competition here is just as strong as some of the grades in Melbourne below championship division.’’ A knee injury ended Bingham’s playing career in her early 40s, but her coaching expertise has always been in huge demand.‘‘I started coaching when I was about 15,’’ she recalled. ‘‘My sister’s team needed a coach and I just stepped in then.’’ She coached school teams at Bendigo East Primary, where sons Paul and Dehne and daughter Karly attended.After Karly moved to secondary school, Bingham formed the BKs (Bingham’s Kids) club for her daughter and friends, playing for several years at Golden City.Then, when the BFL expanded to include a fully fledged netball competition, Bingham answered the call to coach at Karly’s club, Kangaroo Flat.She began coaching the A and B-Grade teams, later adding the C-Grade and 17-and-under sides to her portfolio.In 2008, she heads the A-Grade, A-Reserve and 17-and-unders.Her record with the Flat is impressive - three A-Grade premierships, three B-Grade titles and several times runner-up in both divisions.‘‘We haven’t won an A-Grade premiership for three years, so it’s about time we got back on top and won this year,’’ she said.Bingham has seen some talented netballers come and go during her time.She said the best players she had worked with at Kangaroo Flat included Michelle Atherton (now at White Hills), Benita Swatton, Karly Bingham and Lauren Cowling.While coaching regional netball and Country Cup competition sides for more than a decade, she directed central Victorians Sharelle McMahon, Meredith and Rebecca Strachan, and Alex and Kirsty Wheeler - all of whom later played at elite level.Strachan (now Rebecca Bulley) is a member of the 2008 Australian squad and McMahon was recently appointed captain of the national team. ‘‘I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it, and having involvement with some of the younger netballers is just wonderful,’’ Bingham said.Just in case her weekend commitment to netball wasn’t enough, the sport is an integral part of Bingham’s working week.She is employed by the YMCA as supervisor of the Flora Hill Stadium, running three nights of competition netball and co-ordinating the use of the venue by other sporting groups including basketball, soccer, badminton and the regional netball academy.Bingham received a Bendigo Married Ladies Netball service award in 1986 and was made a life member of the Golden City Netball Association in 1993.The following year, her contribution to netball was also recognised by the Bendigo Sportswomen’s Association, and she received a distinction award and coach of the year award in Netball Victoria’s north central region.She is a level one coach and a B-Grade umpire.But all good things come to an end and Bingham said that despite what many people believed, her active involvement in netball had a limited shelf life. Her plans for life after netball include travelling with husband Maurice, visiting her son in Canada and taking in the sights of Europe and the US.‘‘Retirement is very much on the cards - I have got two kids overseas and I think it will happen in the near future.’’