North Turramurra Netball Club are heading into a brighter future.

After receiving an $8,000 grant under the 2023 Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh Netball Grants, the club has been able to grow.

‘The club was struggling, prior to the new committee coming in,’ says Caroline Macdonald, Vice President of the North Turramurra Netball Club. ‘We’re definitely more confident now. It was very close to having to merge because it couldn’t survive.’

The issue with keeping grassroots clubs alive, as Caroline explains, is the pressure of committee members to be highly skilled in areas that previously they were not required to be literate in – from social media advertising to managing overzealous parental expectations, and strict regulations that were not in place when grassroots clubs once flourished.

With the 2023 Woolies grant, the club has been able to acquire new equipment, hold their three NetSetGO clinics with hope of new clinics in 2024, and grow the NetSetGO program 150% – from 11 in 2023 to 33 in 2024.

‘It’s had a big impact for us, to be able to get a grassroots club back to where it needs to be,’ says Caroline. ‘[Ku-ring-gai Netball Association] didn’t want the club to fold, because the more clubs the healthier the competition.’

Applications for the Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh Netball Grants are open again for 2024. Any Australian netball club is welcome to apply, provided they have a Woolworths NetSetGO Centre. Grants of up to $8,000 are available. Entries are open until the 7th of July 2024.

‘Thanks to Woolies we’ve been able to grow… and the club is on its way to making a full comeback,’ says Caroline. ‘We welcome all players. We’re an all-inclusive club.’

For more information about the Woolworths Grants, visit pickfreshplayfresh.netball.com.au/grants-2024

For more information about the North Turramurra Netball Club, visit www.ntnc.com.au