I first picked up on the story about cricket nets and tennis nets disappearing from rural sporting communities a few weeks ago,on social media. A friend from rural Victoria tagged me in a post about their sports netting disappearing overnight, and a whole bunch of kids had limited facilities to rely on until it could be replaced. Cricket nets, tennis nets, the whole lot had disappeared and taken hope with it. I am from a small town myself and know well how damaging it can be to a community to lose access or facilities in public areas, especially when sports are involved.
Assuredly, a whole bunch of sports netting was being passed on through to other clubs, maybe even private purchasers who had no idea that the goods were hot. As a kid I had been a committed tennis player myself, I had loved the finals, and the excitement of a win. Though I had never been a particularly great player, I loved the way I felt during a game, when anything was possible and either player had the chance of a win.
The more I thought about the fact that so many kids would be missing out on their chance to win, the more I felt compelled to make a difference. Shaking hands with an opponent over the tennis nets at the end of a match made me feel like a true sports person. For me it was all about being a great sport.The more I thought about the fact that so many kids would be missing out on their chance to win, the more I felt compelled to make a difference.
I did some looking around to find out more about prices. Cricket nets weren’t cheap, but I found a place that seemed to offer great value for money, so I made the decision to give back to the game. They seemed to be from the same school of thought as me, that kids should be given every chance to excel when it came to sport.