Netballers quit club after 'sexist' awards

Netball coach Katie Sylvester says there is 'sportism' in the way netball gets second place to rugby. Photo / Shona Grundy

The Seahawks netball team, made up of girls aged 12 and 13, has just pulled out of its local Auckland sports club after feeling "sideswiped" in protest at the club's "sexist" awards ceremony.

The team is part of the Silverdale United Rugby and Sports Club but say they were "sideswiped" in favour of the male rugby team at an awards ceremony.

"Rugby is held on a higher pedestal," says the team's coach Katie Sylvester.

She told the NZ Herald that her eight girls practice several hours a week, have "injuries galore", play while they're sick and dedicate themselves to the sport they love.

She was saddened to see her efforts unrecognised while "the rugby boys got award after award".

"To me, it was an unfair display," she says.

"There's a bit of sexism and it is definitely sportism.

"We had one award and we couldn't even present it and it ended up being mumbled over," she added.

"It was desolating."

Sylvester says she is definitely out of the club and is "handing the jerseys back in".

"I've had messages from women all over New Zealand over the last couple of days saying it is about time New Zealand knows" what goes on and how rugby gets recognised above anything else.

Netball coach Katie Sylvester says she is out of the club after the 'unfair display' at the awards night. Photo / Supplied

Shona Grundy, the mother of one of the netball players, took to Facebook to express her frustration. She said the awards night had taken her "back to the 1970s".

"What played out tonight, is the dark side of our country. Where a team of female teenagers sat patiently to be recognised as athletes. A team which included 5 Regional Rep team players (which in itself deserved recognition by the club, but wasn't). Some of these players so dedicated to the sport they played in 4 teams over the season, trained and played 12 hours a week and up to 7 competitive games per week.

According to Grundy, the young female athletes were "sideline by the ol' boys club" - "men who preferred to spend the evening recognising their mates over athletes; whose teams were not limited by the club to 1 award per team (as our Netball team was). But to 5 awards, per team, each. In fact one award was named "Dick of the week" and the other "Players player" (whatever that means)".

It's been a long time since I was in a New Zealand Rugby Club and tonight took me back to the 1970s. Our Netball club...

Posted by Shona Grundy on Friday, 1 September 2017

Speaking to the NZ Herald, Grundy says the girls in the team are still shocked by what happened.

"My daughter is 13-years-old, she practices two hours a day and plays seven games a week," she said.

"She'd never experienced this before."

"The biggest lesson for us is to research a culture behind a club before joining," she said.

"We only joined [the Silverdale club] because of coach Katie Sylvester," she explains, adding that they should have looked more into the club's culture.

Grundy says several parents at the awards, including many fathers, were shocked by what they witnessed.

"A lot of these girls are aspiring Silver Ferns," she said, adding that, not wanting to take away from the boys, they did deserve more recognition.

She says the club's attitude is a symptom of "New Zealand putting rugby above anything else". She says sexism definitely plays a part.

Silverdale United Rugby and Sports Club chairman Dave Wrathall rejected accusations of sexism when speaking to Fairfax and said that the club had been involved in rugby since the 1960s, with many donating trophies and sponsoring specific achievements. The netball club was formed in 2008, he added.

"The board totally rejects any allegation of sexism, and quite the reverse advocates strongly for female involvement at all age groups and participation levels."