During March, to celebrate International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the women of Yarra, and sharing stories from exceptional women who live, work or volunteer in the City of Yarra.

Kate and Cecelia’s story

Kate: “I think it all started at a coffee shop. It was Cecelia’s idea to start up a club for girls, that gets girls into sport.”

Cecelia: “We realized that there were heaps of girls in our community who weren't getting the opportunity to play netball. It’s a bit about fitness but mainly about learning teamwork and making friends.”

Kate: “The girls are gorgeous, really special. Our kids have grown up and it’s really nice to have that connection with those little kids, full of enthusiasm. They just love it.”

Kate: They’ve got a very positive attitude, they don’t care whether they win or lose too much. They bounce around when they get a goal. It's very cute. 

Cecelia: With our first team, we were just thinking about them playing sport. Then we had an end of year get-together and some of the parents were quite teary. They said to us: ‘you've changed our daughter's life – her schoolwork has improved and she's connected at school. She’s got so much confidence.

Kate: It was quite surprising, we didn't realize that was happening. We just thought we were coming out and throwing a ball.”

About Kate Morton and Cecelia Ward 

Kate and Cecelia are volunteers who run the Richmond Skippers netball club, which helps primary school girls in Yarra aged 8-12 get involved in netball. Through word of mouth the club has grown and they now have four teams competing in the Richmond netball association. 

Celebrating the women of Yarra: Read more inspiring stories