Half a century on court and still passionate

Aileen McNaughton is a familiar face at Southland netball courts on a Saturday.

The Mokotua player has been playing netball in Southland for an impressive 51 years. It is a game McNaughton has always loved and is very passionate about.

‘‘I’ve never missed a year,’’ she said.

She started in 1964 as a nineyear-old playing for the Mabel Bush Netball Club – simply because it was what you did at primary school when you were little.

When she got married in 1977 she shifted to the Mokotua Netball Club where she has been for 38 years.

As well as her playing contribution McNaughton is also the secretary-treasurer for the Mokotua club.

It was about 1979, while playing for the Mokotua club, when McNaughton also started to umpire netball games.

She was coaching primary and secondary school teams at the time and needed to brush up on her rules, she said.

‘‘You sort of have to know the rules, so I started umpiring and I eventually went for my badge.’’

Every Saturday she would play a game with the Mokotua team then umpire two games.

It was good for the younger players to have a senior umpire at the lower grades, she said.

‘‘It gives the younger kids a bit of inspiration having a senior umpire.’’

McNaughton plays in the Mokotua Blue team, who are in the sixth grade competition.

There are about seven teams playing in her grade, she said.

Before she was married she used to play first grade, but she changed to the social grades where she was quite happy to play, she said.

She said there are no team practices, the team just turns up on the day for a good game of social netball.

‘‘It’s reasonably competitive in our grade, but people can have fun.’’

Her team was top-of-the-table until their goal shoot broke her ankle, she said.

‘‘We’ve had people come from other clubs because we don’t have practices and they don’t want the competitiveness of higher grades.’’

Netball had become more and more competitive over the years, she said. ‘‘It’s a contact sport now.’’ ‘‘Some teams are just out to win and you can have players that you can’t talk to.’’

McNaughton recalled a time when they would play games and egg the opposing team on during them. ‘‘We were there for the game.’’ In her 51 years of playing McNaughton has never stayed away from the sport for very long. It highlights her passion for netball.

When she had back surgery she was back playing after only four weeks, she said.

‘‘When I had children I was back playing when they were three weeks old.’’

Her quick return was only possible because she had a good fitness level from playing netball, she said.

‘‘I think that’s the big thing, keeping your fitness up.’’

‘‘If you’re fit and healthy, why not play?