29/09/2026
💚 THE HEART BEHIND EMERALDS 💚
**Fair warning… this is a long one! 😂 But you only get one first season, and there are some pretty special people behind ours who deserve more than a couple of lines. So please stick with us and read to the end — this one means a lot. 💚
As we wrap up our very first season, we want to take a moment to recognise the people behind so much of what Emeralds has become — the heart behind our club.
Starting a brand-new netball club from the ground up is no small task. What began as an idea quickly turned into months of planning, organising, creating and figuring things out as we went!
From establishing the club and getting all the administration, finances and governance in place, to registrations, designing our uniforms, organising equipment, forming teams, coordinating umpiring each week, supporting player and umpire development, securing sponsors, building our social media presence and now working on our new website, organising training, events and fundraisers, coordinating trophies, awards and gifts, planning presentation night, answering countless messages and emails, and already starting to plan for 2027 and beyond — along with all the little things that somehow always need doing along the way.
There have been many late nights, countless messages, plenty of meetings, lots of laughs, a few stressful moments and an enormous number of hours behind the scenes. Everyone has taken on different roles, stepped in when something needed doing and helped turn Emeralds from an idea into a club we can all be incredibly proud of. 💚
But behind all of those jobs are the people who have given so much of themselves to making Emeralds what it is.
💚 Julie — President
Enthusiastic, encouraging and incredibly proud of the club. Julie has brought so much passion and energy to Emeralds throughout our first year. As our inaugural President, she has helped guide the club through its first season, been an important voice in our decisions and always kept what is best for Emeralds and our members at heart. She is incredibly proud of what we have created and genuinely wants to see the club continue to grow and succeed.
As our Umpiring Convenor, umpire development is something Julie is incredibly passionate about. She has put so much time and care into creating opportunities for our developing umpires to learn, gain experience and grow in confidence. She is always there to mentor, encourage and support them along the way and takes so much pride in seeing them progress.
Each Saturday, Julie is right there amongst it all — cheering from the sidelines, encouraging our players and sharing in the moments that make a season special. Alongside coaching our Diamonds and umpiring throughout the season, she loves being involved in senior training, particularly helping our shooters build their skills and confidence. We were also incredibly proud to see Julie achieve her National C Badge this year. 💚
After everything Julie has given to Emeralds, it was incredibly special to see her recognised as our inaugural Club Person of the Year — a wonderful reflection of the passion and pride she has brought to our club.
And sometimes our players say it best. Thalia wrote:
“Julie, thank you for being amazing and you’re so, so kind. You have helped me in ways I can’t say. I love you.” 💚
Julie’s passion, encouragement and pride in Emeralds have been such an important part of our first year, and we know she’ll continue to be right there supporting our club every step of the way. 💚
💚 Ema — Secretary
**Strong, dependable and someone you always want in your corner. Part of Emeralds from the very beginning, Ema has put an incredible amount of time, heart and energy into helping build our club. Always willing to step in, she has been a huge part of keeping things moving behind the scenes — organising, communicating, helping make decisions, solving problems and helping to take care of the countless things that come with building a new club. She is someone to bounce ideas off, someone you can rely on and someone who genuinely cares about Emeralds and the people within it. 💚
And that passion certainly doesn’t stop when she steps onto the court! Alongside coaching our Gems, Ema gives so much of her time and energy to helping our players grow and improve. She has been a wonderful support to our senior players and has also spent plenty of time with our Diamonds, particularly working with them on their defensive skills, sharing what she knows and giving them that extra encouragement to keep learning and pushing themselves.
Ema genuinely cares about every player she works with and is always willing to put in the extra time to help them. She sees their potential, believes in them and gets just as excited as they do when something they’ve been working hard on finally comes together. Seeing that hard work pay off and watching their skills and confidence grow is exactly why she loves being able to help and support our players. 💚
The impact she has on our players was summed up beautifully in a little note from Thalia:
“Thank you for helping me so much with my skills and everything I know, I owe it to you, so thank you.” 💚
Ema has given so much of herself to Emeralds from the very beginning, and the time, heart and support she continues to give our club means more than she probably realises. 💚
💚 Nicole — Treasurer | Registrar | Publicity
Passionate, creative and always thinking about what comes next. There from the very beginning, Nicole has put so much of her heart into bringing Emeralds to life and helping shape the club into what it is today. Driven and always looking for ways to make Emeralds even better, she has given countless hours to the club and taken on so much behind the scenes to help turn ideas into reality. Whether it’s the big things or the smallest details, Nicole puts her whole heart into making Emeralds a club where people feel welcome, supported and proud to belong.
That care extends well beyond her committee roles. Alongside coaching our youngest Emeralds, the Trinkets, Nicole absolutely loves being there each Saturday, cheering on our teams, encouraging our players and sharing in all those moments that make a season special — seeing the excitement after a great game, celebrating the little wins and watching our players grow in confidence week after week.
She also loves the time she gets to spend with our senior players at training, sharing what she knows, encouraging them to challenge themselves and helping them develop greater confidence in their own abilities. For Nicole, there’s something really special about seeing a player work hard at something, watching it finally click and then seeing them take that confidence and improvement out onto the court.
That passion for coaching and supporting player development was recognised this year when Nicole received the LDNA Dianne Donovan Senior Coaching Award — a very special recognition for something she genuinely loves doing and has given so much of herself to. 💚
In another little note from Thalia:
“Thanks for being amazing. You have such a big, warm, loving heart.” 💚
Nicole has poured so much heart into Emeralds from the very beginning, and the time, care and countless hours she has given behind the scenes have helped shape so much of what our club has become. 💚
💚 Hannah - General Committee
Kind, caring and just a genuinely beautiful person. Hannah has been part of Emeralds from the very beginning and has brought such a calm, thoughtful and caring presence to our first year. She is one of those people who will listen without judgement, offer support when it’s needed and genuinely wants the best for everyone around her.
Throughout the season, Hannah has been someone we could turn to when things needed working through, helping us find resolutions, offering another perspective and bringing a level-headed approach when we needed it most. She has also quietly taken care of things behind the scenes, including organising our coaches’ gifts to make sure the people who gave so much of their time to our players were recognised and thanked.
But more than any particular job she has done, it’s simply the kind of person Hannah is that makes her such a special part of Emeralds. She is thoughtful, generous with her time, always willing to listen and someone who genuinely cares.
Her kindness, support and genuine care for the people around her have helped shape the kind of club we wanted Emeralds to be from the very beginning. 💚
💚 Shannon - General Committee
Supportive, thoughtful and always willing to contribute. Another part of the Emeralds story from the very beginning, Shannon helped bring that original idea to life and has continued to support the club throughout our first season as a committee member, player and umpire.
Throughout the year, Shannon has been someone who has offered her thoughts, shared her perspective and helped us find a way forward when things haven’t always been straightforward. She is supportive of the people around her and genuinely wants to see Emeralds continue to grow and succeed.
Shannon has also been a wonderful part of our umpiring team, generously giving her time throughout the season to take the whistle for our teams. A confident and capable umpire, her willingness to step in and support the club has been greatly appreciated.
Shannon has also helped make our first year special away from the court. It was Shannon who first brought the idea of Boot & Scoot to the table, and what started as a simple suggestion turned into such a fun and memorable night for our club. It brought everyone together away from the netball courts and gave us another special memory from our very first season. She also took care of organising our presentation cake, making sure there was something special to mark the end of a year that meant so much to all of us.
From the ideas she has brought to the table to the support she has given both on and off the court, Shannon has played a special part in helping make our first year what it has been. 💚
💚 Annie - General Committee
Caring, dedicated and incredibly passionate about our players. Annie has given so much of her time, knowledge and encouragement to our Diamonds this season. From the beginning, she believed in the girls and what they were capable of, supporting them through the challenges, celebrating their achievements and taking so much pride in watching their skills and confidence grow.
Annie’s support has extended beyond the Diamonds too. With her own representative netball experience and knowledge of the game, she has been a wonderful support at our senior training sessions, particularly working with our shooters. She genuinely wants to see our senior players do well too, and can often be found on the sideline encouraging them, sharing a little advice and helping them see things they might not always see themselves.
Away from the court, Annie has also brought her experiences, ideas and support to our committee throughout our first season, always willing to contribute and lend a hand when needed.
And somewhere amongst all the netball, training and time spent together, Annie has also formed some beautiful friendships and connections that have become a really special part of her first year with Emeralds.
And Thalia had a little message for Annie too:
“Thank you so much. You’re so iconic and kind. I love you so much. Never change or else!” 😂💚
We think that one speaks for itself!
Annie has given so much to Emeralds in our first year — sharing her experience, supporting our players and genuinely believing in the people around her. 💚
While every person brings something different to Emeralds, one thing they all share is just how incredibly proud they are of this club and how much they genuinely care about the people within it. They have supported each other, backed our players, coaches and umpires, created opportunities for others and shared the same goal from the beginning — to build a club where every person feels valued, supported and proud to belong. 💚
Together, they have helped turn an idea into six teams, 62 members, an incredible community and a club with its own identity and future.
And amongst the messages left at our presentation night was one that perhaps summed up exactly what we hoped Emeralds would become:
“From the very first message, Emeralds has been the kindest, most welcoming club we have encountered. EVERY player is seen as important. The care & guidance is paramount. We have had the most positive experience. Thank you.” 💚
For the people who have put so much into building Emeralds, there probably isn’t a greater compliment than that.
No matter how much Emeralds grows, how many teams take the court or how many seasons come after this one, these are the people who helped build the foundations.
We’ll only ever have one first season and one first chapter.
Thank you Julie, Ema, Nicole, Hannah, Shannon and Annie for the time, effort, heart, ideas, laughs and countless hours you have given to Emeralds.
This was Our First Chapter — and what a chapter it has been. 💚✨
