Kylie Walsh Honoured with Life Membership

What began as a special thank you for another year of service to North Central netball turned into a much bigger surprise for Kylie Walsh, who was honoured with Life Membership of the North Central Netball Association.

NCNA president Kim Fitzpatrick called Kylie to the stage under the guise of recognising her enormous contribution during the season, particularly her work behind the scenes preparing the pre-recorded vote counts and co-ordinating the live streaming of finals matches. There was, however, another reason Kylie needed to remain on stage.

With family members and special guests still making their way into the room, Kim was faced with the task of stretching out the presentation without giving away what was about to happen, and in typical Kylie fashion, she unknowingly came to the rescue herself, suggesting a rendition of the North Central Netball theme song with fellow Life Member Brenda Doran.

The impromptu performance provided just enough time for her family and guests to arrive before the real reason for the presentation was revealed. A PowerPoint presentation celebrating Kylie’s contribution followed and included plenty of humour, with Birchip-Watchem Life Member Brooke Morris appearing in a special “Kath and Kim” skit.

The presentation also featured tributes from former teammates, juniors Kylie has coached and influenced, and fellow Life Members of the North Central Netball Association.

A consistent theme throughout the tributes was Kylie’s dedication to every aspect of the game, as a player, administrator and coach, together with her passion for netball and her willingness to share her knowledge and enthusiasm across the region. Those speaking also acknowledged the significant role Kylie had played in the success of North Central’s new Board of Management model, with her leadership, organisation and willingness to take on the many behind the scenes roles helping to sustain a successful association.

It was fitting recognition for a contribution to netball that has spanned more than four decades, commencing in 1985 when she started playing Junior “B” for Birchip. It wasn’t long after this, that Kylie’s long association with North Central representative teams commenced, having played her first game for North Central as a junior in 1987.

Kylie’s coaching career began in 1988 when she took on an assistant coaching role at Birchip alongside Joanne Ryan and Brooke Bolden (Morris) and in 1991, she took the next step into representative coaching, coaching North Central at Country Week.

In 1992 Kylie’s netball continued overseas, playing representative netball in Ireland and earning the honour of being elected vice-captain of Ireland.

After returning to Birchip in 2011, Kylie fully immersed herself back into North Central, playing both “A” and “B” Grade for Birchip-Watchem while also coaching junior teams. From 2013 she became increasingly involved in coaching representative teams for both North Central and Wimmera Mallee, a commitment that has continued over many years and broadened significantly at association and representative level when she retired from playing in 2015.

Kylie invested considerable time and dedication in developing her coaching skills, continually building her knowledge and experience to ensure she could give young players the best possible opportunity to improve. Her commitment has always extended well beyond match day, with countless hours spent planning, preparing, travelling and mentoring young players.

Her coaching experience led to opportunities within the Netball Victoria talent pathway. Kylie was involved with the Northern Zone Academy from 2015 to 2017 before returning to the program in 2024 and 2025. Her contribution to player development has expanded again in 2026, with her role as an Assistant Coach with the Northern Talent Academy.

Kylie has also made a significant contribution to the administration and leadership of North Central netball. When the NCNA moved to a newly formed Board of Management structure in 2023, Kylie became its inaugural president. She continued as president in 2024 and played an important role in establishing the new governance model and helping it become the successful structure it is today.

In 2025 she stepped away from the president’s role, but remained an active member of the Board of Management, taking responsibility for social media and continuing the many behind the scenes jobs that have become synonymous with her involvement.

Accepting the honour from Kim Fitzpatrick, an emotional Kylie spoke of her love for netball, the netball community and, in particular, helping young people reach their potential while ensuring everyone who takes the court can enjoy the game they love.

Kylie said one of her greatest motivations was seeing juniors believe in themselves, strive and thrive at both club and representative level and progress from junior representative teams through to the senior ranks.

“I love the dedication of our netball community and the relationships and friendships you develop in local and representative netball that continue to flourish and grow through to your later years,” Kylie said. “Seeing young players grow in confidence and ability and the friendships I have in the wider netball community continue to be the greatest highlights for me”.

She thanked her parents for supporting her love of netball from the outset and acknowledged daughter Ella and husband Dave for “sharing” her with netball over so many years.

From player to local coach, representative coach, administrator, president, mentor and volunteer, Kylie’s involvement has touched almost every level of the game. Her Life Membership recognises not simply the number of years she has contributed to North Central netball, but the passion, leadership, commitment and generosity with which she has dedicated to the sport she loves so passionately.