By Colin MacGillivray

New Wimmera District Football Netball Association operations manager Corey Fox has commenced his role with a call for people of all ages to get involved at their local clubs.

The association oversees the operations of both the Wimmera and Horsham District leagues, and Mr Fox said he was excited to join.

“I love watching footy at all levels, so I’m super excited. I’m enjoying the role, very much so,” he said.

With a background at Stawell-based District league club Swifts, Mr Fox said he was enjoying forging new relationships across both leagues.

“It’s exciting to be involved with a wider range of people and meeting new people as well, getting out of the Stawell bubble, so to speak,” he said.

“Getting involved on a deeper level is great. You don’t just see what goes into running a league, but the people and personalities as well.

“Footy and netball clubs are made up of people, so I’m getting to meet a lot of people and having a yarn about local sport and local issues.

“The best part of the job is just getting to meet people and talk to them.”

Mr Fox said while both leagues were in a healthy position, there was always room for more players and volunteers.

He encouraged people not already affiliated with a local club to consider joining in any capacity that suited them.

“If you’re looking for something to do on your weekends, go to your local footy and netball club and I guarantee they’ll be able to find something for you to do – some way to get involved and be a part of something,” he said.

“It’s never too late. You can always go to your local club, and any club will find a place for someone who wants to be a part of it.”

Mr Fox said the growth of women’s football in the region – with Natimuk United expanding the Wimmera competition to four teams in 2026 – was an exciting development.

“When you talk in terms of growth, 50 per cent of the population being women is a huge area for growth moving forward in football,” he said.

“So if you’re a young girl out there and you’re keen on football, there are more and more opportunities as you’re going through.”

Mr Fox said the leagues were working hard to ensure girls and women of all ages were not forced to choose between football and netball, but instead had opportunities to play both sports.

“There’s probably some work to be done going forward with that kind of thing, and I know it’s been talked about – how do you integrate it so a girl can play under-14s footy and then play with her netball side as well,” he said.

“There’s some work to be done there, but with the Wimmera league senior women’s competition playing on Sundays, there’s opportunities there to stay with your club, play netball on a Saturday and then play football as well.”

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