By Dongyun Kwon
Yarra Glen Football Netball Club’s (YGFNC) C grade player Michele Young marked a significant milestone.
The defender played her 250th game for the club on Saturday 20 July.
Young said she was “excited and grateful” to get to the milestone.
“Fortunately, I’ve not had any long-term injuries and I’ve been able to continue playing until this age,” she said.
“I am the second person at the club to reach 250 games.
“That’s very special to be able to do that.”
The 62-year-old woman, who will turn 63 in two weeks, is still in good and fit form.
She said having a good diet is one of her tips for keeping fit.
“I’m very conscious of what I eat, I don’t smoke,” Young said.
“I do a lot of exercises, I go water skiing, I’ve run a couple of half marathons.
“I’ve got good genes as well and I got my parents to thank for that, having my parents both well into their late 80s. They’re also very fit and well.”
The netball player has been a mothering figure to lots of girls in the club, especially girls who have come from backgrounds that don’t have family or parental support.
Young said winning is important in sport but it’s not all about winning.
“It’s also about the friendship and the connection that you make with the community, those people you play with and those people who are involved in the club,” she said.
“I’ve had a number of girls that have called me mum and have reached out to me for life advice support along the way.”
Young got into netball when she was in primary school as a school sport, and she joined the local junior netball club, Taylors Lake, in the Wimmera Country Football Netball League, which was a similar league to the Outer East Football Netball League.
She joined the YGFNC in 2006.
“When I moved down to Melbourne to do nursing and met my partner, my husband now, and we moved to Yarra Glen,” she said.
“I could see the similarities of where I’d grown up playing netball in a country league and wanted to continue playing sport, predominantly netball, in that country league environment.
“So, I joined Yarra Glen, wanting to be part of the local community.”
Young has devoted to the club not only as a player but also by taking multiple roles.
She was a committee member for about 10 years and vice president for seven years as well as won seven premierships as a player.
Young said she finally lifted a trophy in 2014.
“We made three grand finals and lost every one of them before we finally did win a premiership,” she said.
Her whole family is getting involved in the club as a player, a coach or a supporter.
Young has won one premiership with her both sisters playing together and her daughter as a coach in 2016.
“Winning a premiership playing with my both sisters in 2016 was a very special memory,” she said.
“Last year, I won another premiership playing with my daughter, and my granddaughters were there and they were old enough to remember that.”
Young was also involved in setting up the Net Set Go program which is a starter program for local kids to learn the netball basics while having fun.
“One of those girls that I taught in the Net Set Go program as a four or five-year-old is now our club trainer,” she said.
“One of the other girls is now playing in our D grade team.”
Young wants to win one more premiership this year with her daughter.
She said she may retire at the end of this season.
“I’m probably coming to a point of retiring,” Young said.
“I’m still working full time and I work a 10-hour shift on Thursday and then try to get to netball training and an hour’s drive home. It’s such a struggle.
“It’d be nice to finish off with a premiership.”
