Netball at St Margaret’s has grown significantly in recent years, becoming the school’s most played sport. In 2024, 336 students, or 35% of the school, played netball, and St Margaret’s has become known in the sporting world as a powerhouse netball school. Karen Brown (’98), the Opens Team Coach since 2022, recently shared her reflections on the growth of netball at St Margaret’s, the 2024 season, and what lies ahead in 2025.

Karen herself played for the St Margaret’s Opens Netball Team in Years 11 and 12, although St Margaret’s was most certainly not known as a netball school at the time. Karen made her debut for the Queensland Firebirds at just 19 years old and began her coaching career at St Margaret’s during this time, coaching the junior teams from 1999-2006. When Karen’s own daughter started at St Margaret’s in 2020, she was called back to her role as coach after some time as the President of the Netball Support Group, following in the footsteps of her own mum. Seeing the growth of the netball program since her time as a player has been particularly special for Karen:

“To think we are now known as a netball school is very exciting. Gayle Coutts (Head of Netball) has done an amazing job… I’m really proud to be part of it. We are a powerhouse netball school. If you said that 20-30 years ago, you would have been laughed at.”

There are approximately 12 Old Girls on the netball coaching staff, a number that attests to what this sport means to Old Girls and current students alike. All these Old Girls have witnessed tremendous growth and change in the netball program. Particularly for Karen, the facilities have improved drastically since her days of training where the Arts Centre Foyer and Eunice Centre now stand and playing games at the courts at Crosby Park. For Karen, the passion is still there for her on a whole other level – she still chants the St Margaret’s war cry with her players.

Netball plays a particularly important role in the sports program, promoting leadership skills and collegiality. Karen uses the lessons that her own time as a player taught her in her everyday life – leading by example and supporting and lifting each other when needed.

“It’s about how you are bringing out the best in others. You could be the star, but how do you bring out the best in others?

“I like to instil in the girls that you leave the bib in a better place than when you received it. We all have an obligation to do our part.”

The leadership element in netball, too, is an important aspect for Karen. She recalled seeing another Old Girl last season, who is now a parent at the school, who had been the Netball Captain when Karen was in Year 10. She was someone that Karen looked up to during her time as a student and player, and it has served as an important lesson to teach her Opens players. For her, the mentoring element of being a coach, as well as cultivating a supportive community, is of utmost importance. She tells her players:

“She was my idol, and your Year 10s are looking up to you in the same way. It really was a full circle moment for me.” The 2024 season was the best season ever for the school with regards to the depth of the program. There is considerable engagement across all year levels, particularly in Years 9 and 10. Karen is confident that 2025 will be yet another strong year for St Margaret’s netball, and also her Opens Team. When asked about her predictions for the 2025 season, winning of course was on the horizon:

“The competitor in me wants to win and emulate our double premiership success in 2023, but overall, I hope that the program continues to grow as a whole and that we are all successful.”

Particularly important to Karen is bringing all age groups into the program with a deep passion for the sport and carrying them the whole way through to Year 12:

“Whether you’re in Year 4 or Year 12, you’re part of the netball family.”

2025 will be yet another huge year for St Margaret’s netball, and we wish Karen and her teams, as well as all our other coaches and players, the best of luck!