Margot Capuano, 80, is back on court at Knox Regional Netball Centre, proudly donning her bib for a weekly game of walking netball.
As the oldest player in the Mountain District Netball Association, Margot takes to the court each Wednesday morning, proving age is no barrier to staying active and social.
She gave up netball at 64 but returned after discovering walking netball — a modified version of the game where players walk instead of run.
“One of the worst things about ageing was I missed my netball so much because I loved it and I did play it for many decades,” she says. “I saw a ‘walking netball’ sign and I was absolutely over-the-moon excited and thought, I’m going to try this — just to be back on the court would be beautiful.”
Margot plays alongside her daughter-in-law Sherri, joining many families who play either socially or in the Tuesday night competition.
The game, she says, has boosted both her physical strength and her social life.
“When I started playing, I was able to do the walking fairly well but I found that I’d lost strength in my arms,” she says. “I could barely throw the ball and I got such a shock. So, I got out a few things at home and did some more exercise to try and strengthen my arms. That’s helped over time.”
Margot encourages others to give it a go.
“If you’ve got any pang of how much you miss netball, I would absolutely encourage others to do it,” she says.
“One absolutely amazing thing is the support. I was pretty nervous when I came. I thought, I’m so old and I look so weak, they’ll think I’m very funny. But they are just 100% supportive and kind and thoughtful.”
Walking netball coordinator Emma Griffiths says the sport is booming.
“We’ve got a few teams where we’ve got younger girls who play with their mums and they field a team with half daughters, half mums — it’s really nice to see,” she says.
“Some of our teams have grandmas and their granddaughters playing. It isn’t just about the netball, it’s about the community and bringing the older generation back. It’s getting them out of the house and getting their legs moving and heart pumping.”
The Knox Regional Netball Centre now caters to up to 6,000 players a week following a $15.6 million expansion, delivered by Council in partnership with the Victorian and Australian governments.
Located at 9 Dempster Street, Ferntree Gully, the centre is the leading netball venue in the region.
Find out more at: mdnanetball.com.au
