ON GOAL with the Lightning in 2020

The Club has just delivered its “ON GOAL” pilot program at Richmond High School.

ON GOAL is a netball engagement and tertiary awareness program for female Indigenous and African Australian school students who aspire to play sport and study at university.

Melbourne Vixens player, Mwai Kumwenda is the program ambassador. Mwai, joined by Lightning Championship players, Zoe Cransberg & Gabby Coffey conducted netball skills clinics with year 7 and 8 students at Richmond High School. Mwai and Gabby, who has an indigenous background, also spoke to the students about their personal netball journeys.

The program, supported by the University of Melbourne, City of Yarra & Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Branch of the Bendigo Bank, aims to engage female students from marginalized communities, using sport, to raise the aspiration of participants towards tertiary education. The teenagers will participate in weekly netball skills coaching sessions with Mwai Kumwenda and the Lightning players and attend Lightning and Vixens home games throughout the 2020 season.

The program includes a University of Melbourne immersion program where the participants will attend pre tertiary classes in a variety of the universities’ faculties. They will also receive mentoring from University of Melbourne students and advice on subject selection and requirements for specific university courses.

A key strategic objective of the Club is to impact social outcomes through participation, health outcomes, community cohesiveness, role models, inspiration and leadership. As such, the netball engagement and tertiary awareness program will aim to provide female Indigenous and African Australian youth with access to a variety of pathways aimed at facilitating, celebrating and promoting their success and at the same time supporting their educational and sporting aspirations. 

The first phase of the program will commence in February 2020 and will be delivered at Richmond High School.