Ravens’ rules are OK

By Paul Pickering
NETBALL novices the Ravens were the talk of the Dandenong Netball Association this year – and it wasn’t because they didn’t know the rules.
The Ravens are a group of African-born migrants – most hailing from Sudan, Nigeria and Liberia – who decided to indulge their curiosity about one of Australia’s most popular sports.
The local girls, aged between 14 and 20, attended a Come and Try netball day in Dandenong earlier this year and took an immediate liking to the game. With the help of the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) in Dandenong, the girls hastily put together a team to be entered in their local league. As CMY’s multicultural youth worker – and Ravens’ coach – Claudia Abakah explained, it was always going to be a steep learning curve.
“We found out (about registration) too late, so they only had about two weeks to learn the rules,” Abakah said.
The Ravens went on to finish the season in a respectable seventh position out of nine teams.
“They were quite excited about that because it was the first time they’ve played – and they still don’t know the rules,” Abakah laughed.
Most of the girls have been in Australia for less than five years, so Abakah believes the social benefits of sport will help them to settle into their adopted country.
“We’re hoping that girls will go out there and try different sports, meet lots of different people from different backgrounds and have a go at a sport that’s quite important to the Australian community,” she said.
The Ravens were supported by an enthusiastic group of family and friends during the season, and there are already plans to enter a mixed team next season.
Netball Victoria, VicHealth and Sport and Recreation Victoria have also supported the team.