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One of Bendigo’s greatest sporting products has put her support behind the campaign for better facilities for women in sport in the region.
Caitlin Thwaites played junior netball and volleyball in Bendigo before going on to become goal shooter for the world champion Australian Diamonds netball team.
The 29-year-old said netballers deserved the same opportunities as other athletes – starting with basic facilities and amenities.
“It’s constantly been a fight for netball to get the media coverage, the support in terms of funding… it’s always been a battle,’’ Thwaites said.
“It is evolving, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“At the level I play I’m blessed to get the opportunity to train in a purpose-built netball venue in Sydney that was built prior to the world championships.
“It’s great to see netball finally recognised with a purpose-built venue that ranks alongside some of the other major sports.
“As the sport grows, the facilities need to grow and that starts at the grassroots level.
“We’ve had so many top level netballers come out of our region and it’s a shame to hear that the facilities aren’t there.
“Hopefully, funding can be found to make sure that this issue is fixed.”
Thwaites said the lack of facilities put netball in danger of losing participants to rival codes.
“Even here in Sydney you can see the rise in women playing soccer and AFL,’’ she said.
“If netball doesn’t step up to the plate with things like facilities and the level of competition… we are at risk of losing players to other sports.
“It’s really important that netball evolves with the times and the increase in demand for facilities.
“We can’t afford to lose our members and those who are engaged with the game.”
Thwaites will be on centre stage on Sunday when she leads the New South Wales Swifts into battle against the Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship grand final in Brisbane.
Thwaites will play on her Australian Diamonds team-mate and Firebirds’ captain Laura Geitz.