At just a young age, Alyssa Pinchbeck is already building an impressive portfolio across leadership, advocacy, and community sport. Recently elected as the 2026 Youth Premier of the New South Wales Youth Parliament Program under ‘The Y’.
Pinchbeck’s appointment reflects the trust and support of her peers in her ability to lead and represent young people across the state. Her journey in the program began in 2025 as a Youth Member of Parliament for Hornsby, before progressing into the role of Youth Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
In that position, Pinchbeck worked closely with her committee to develop and refine a bill focused on First Nations youth and justice system reform.
“My biggest passion has always been around the over-representation of First Nations youth in incarceration spaces,” she said. “Being a First Nations woman myself, I wanted to make sure I was using that space to represent voices that aren’t always heard.”
She added that the experience strengthened her leadership skills in a practical way.
“I got to help guide the committee through the writing process, make sure our ideas were clear, and then present our work in Parliament. It really taught me how important preparation and teamwork are.”
Alongside her parliamentary achievements, Pinchbeck plays an active role in the Netball NSW Youth Advisory Group, where she contributes to shaping the future direction of the sport through a youth lens.
Her experience in youth parliament has directly influenced how she approaches netball, particularly around governance, structure, and ensuring young people have a voice in decision-making.
She is especially passionate about strengthening participation pathways beyond playing, encouraging more young people to explore opportunities in coaching, umpiring, and administration.
“Netball is so much bigger than just playing,” she said. “There are so many roles that are just as important, but not always visible to young people.”
Within her own club environment at Cherrybrook United Netball Club, Pinchbeck is actively involved across multiple roles including coaching, umpiring, mentoring developing officials, playing, and supporting committee initiatives. Her involvement reflects a strong belief in contributing across all levels of the sport.
She believes visibility is key to growing engagement in non-playing pathways.
“If young people don’t know these opportunities exist, they won’t take them up,” she said. “We need to do a better job of showing what’s possible in umpiring, coaching and admin roles.”
Her message to young people considering involvement in netball is simple.
“Just try everything,” she said. “You don’t know what you’ll enjoy until you give it a go.”
As National Youth Week celebrates young leaders across Australia, Alyssa Pinchbeck stands out as an example of how youth voice can influence both community leadership and the future of netball, particularly in strengthening participation across coaching, umpiring and administrative pathways that support the game.
