AIDEN de Boer isn’t afraid to buck trends and has hit the court to prove he’s serious about netball.
The predominantly female sport has often meant boys are left on the sidelines out of fear they will be teased for playing a “girl’s” sport but as Aiden has shown, it’s a great sport that anyone can play.
Aiden confessed he was initially concerned about how he would be accepted and was apprehensive to take the court on week one, but as soon as the whistle was blown it was down to business with the rest of the team.
Having a mum who is a coach, umpire and player, a sister playing and a father involved in social mixed netball meant he spent many an hour sitting courtside watching and learning. When the opportunity to actually join a team came up, he just couldn’t say no.
This year he decided to switch from soccer and join the Noosaville Emeralds team.
Aiden said he liked the skills and agility needed to be a great netball player.
“It’s quick, you have to think fast, you need good ball skills and everyone has a job to do,” he said.
“The game is over in no time, and you want to start again. My first week playing this season was amazing; so many people congratulated me on my skills, nothing to do with being different.
“I just hope that more boys will want to play and maybe one day we could have a boys or mixed competition.”
Aiden’s mum Christine de Boer said Aiden had been accepted by the team without any issues and said she hoped Aiden could play netball for a while longer.
“We’ve been advised that Noosa Netball adheres to the current Netball Australia Junior policy which states boys can play up to the age of 12,” she said.
“That gives us another year or two to work towards getting the word out there. It would be fabulous for Aiden to be able to continue playing, but we’d need a lot more boys. A mixed seniors competition for Noosa would also be a great idea.”
Ms de Boer said it took a lot of “confidence” and “strong-mindedness” for Aiden to join the team and said she hoped opposition players, parents and supporters offer male players positive encouragement.
