AN 11-YEAR-OLD Adelaide boy and his family are challenging a blanket netball ban against boys aged over 12 as too big and strong to play with girls.

“I’m not rough at all,” Josh Vanderzalm told The Sunday Mail. “I’m not like that and people need to know that boys aren’t like that.”

Josh, from Onkaparinga Hills, plays wing and goal attack for the Wildcats Netball Club in the state’s premiere female netball league, the Adelaide Metropolitan Netball Division (AMND).

He is the Wildcats first male player and is turning 12 in less than three weeks.

Under current Netball SA policy boys can’t play competitive netball — a non-contact sport — with girls after they turn 12 and have to wait till they are 16 to compete in the South Australian Mens League (M League). The policy is exempt from federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

Josh will be able to play the rest of the AMND Winter Season, which ends in August. But after that, there is nowhere else for him to play netball competitively.

“We are hoping that something will change before the season ends,” Josh’s mum Robyn Vanderzalm said.

She said the gender policy needed to be reviewed or at least be dealt with on a case-by-case basis as not all boys developed at the same age or in the same way.

“It’s a real shame because he’s not the biggest, strongest or most aggressive player on the court and he really loves the sport,” Mrs Vanderzalm said.

Told he was too small and gentle for basketball, Josh has been playing competitive netball for the past three years’ in the AMND and the Southern United Netball Association.

Josh is the eldest of the very first three boys to ever play in the AMND (excluding Net Set Go) this year.

“It makes me very sad that Josh can’t continue beyond this year as I know how much he loves his netball and he doesn’t have any options to continue playing at this level,” Wildcats sub-junior coach Tina Coad said.

“There is a huge void of opportunity for boys between the ages of 12 and 16 to play netball,” she said. “I am hopeful in the future there will be pathways, but that doesn’t help boys like Josh who want to play the sport they are passionate about.”

In a statement, Netball SA says it will not be reviewing its gender policy nor is it aware of any exemptions to the bylaw, which is based on Netball Australia Junior guidelines.

“Once boys, or persons who identify as male, are over the age of 12, the decision is based on the disparity between size and strength, which can impact on the outcome of the game and create an unfair advantage,” the statement says.

“Netball SA understands it can be disappointing for participants who once they reach a certain age are unable to continue to play in their current league, but Netball SA is working hard … to increase opportunities for boys to enable them to continue playing,” Netball SA CEO Ben Scales said.

Mr Scales said Netball SA and the South Australian Mens and Mixed Netball Association (SAMMNA) were investigating the establishment later this year of a junior league for boys aged 16 and under to run alongside the M League.

“We are working on a way to keep boys in the system and playing after they turn 12,” SAMMNA president Steve McInnes said.

Mr McInnes said SAMMNA, with support from Netball SA, had this year introduced a monthly netball Academy for boys. He said 18 boys aged 10 to 14 were part of the Academy.

“Absolutely there has been an increase in boys and men participating in netball,” he said.

“I think there has been a lot more acceptance around men and boys playing netball — now we just have to give them somewhere to play after they turn 12.”

ENDS