Yass Netball is in danger of folding, leaving over 200 children to contemplate a future without Saturday morning netball. Unless parents step forward to fill positions on the committee, netball as we know it in Yass will cease.

Competitions such as netball don’t run themselves: the more people who are involved, the less is left for each individual. For Yass Netball to survive, it urgently needs the assistance of parents.

Volunteers are needed to:

1. Fill the positions vacant on the committee

2. Run the canteen

3. Act as umpires (all you need is to be over 13 and have a working knowledge of netball).

4. Lend a hand with assorted tasks: many hands make light work.

Night Netball is also in danger, because at present there is no Night Netball committee. No committee, no netball.

Yass Netball provides a range of opportunities to the community. It helps keep young people in Yass and gives them the chance to develop their talents. Netball also provides social opportunities for young and not-so-young netballers.

Young netballers also benefit from quality coaches, some of whom are so dedicated they keep going even when they have no children of their own playing. This year promising netballers have had the opportunity to hone their skills on representative teams and the recent clinic with Australian netballer Susan Pratley was very popular.

However, unless more parents or interested people put their hand up to help, the current Saturday competition could be the last.

Yass Netball has been hoping for some time for a new canteen (currently the canteen is run from an old shipping container) and a new surface and lighting for the courts. To that end, they have put aside money. The problems of Yass Netball are not financial issues, they are more to do with lack of parental support. Many parents are keen to watch their children play, but up until now have not invested in the social infrastructure that will allow their offspring to continue to play the popular sport.

The next meeting of Yass Netball will be on July 22, 7.30pm at the Yass Soldiers Club.

The AGM will be in February 2009, if Yass Netball is still alive.

It’s over to you, parents. Do you want your kids to play netball or not?