The Southern Highland’s Sofia Novak from Mittagong Netball Club, part of the Southern Highlands Netball Association, has been elected as the inaugural Chair of the Netball NSW Youth Advisory Group (YAG).
The YAG was established to give young people a voice in shaping the future of netball in New South Wales, empowering emerging leaders to share their ideas, experiences and perspectives on the issues that matter most to youth in the sport.
Novak was elected by her peers after nominees presented to the group and Netball NSW Chair Sallianne Faulkner, outlining why they would make a strong YAG leader. Also in attendance was GIANTS Netball athlete Amy Sligar, who joined the group to show her support for the next generation of leaders in the game.
As part of her new role, Novak will be mentored by Sallianne Faulkner, who praised the group’s energy, creativity and leadership potential.
“The passion and confidence shown by all members of the Youth Advisory Group was incredible,” said Ms Faulkner. “Sofia impressed us with her authenticity, her love for the game and her commitment to helping others grow through netball. I’m thrilled to mentor her as she leads this inspiring group of young people.”
For Novak, netball has always been about more than the scoreboard.
“Netball has given me a purpose — initially as a player, but particularly as a coach,” Novak said. “I love being able to share my passion for the game and help my players grow, both on and off the court.”
She also credits the sport for shaping her resilience and leadership.
“Along my netball journey, there have been times I’ve been knocked down — literally and metaphorically — but the game has taught me how to bounce back and stay strong,” she said. “I’ve been lucky to have incredible mentors like my club president Liz, who has shown me that sport is about fun, friendship and community first.”
During the meeting, the Netball NSW Youth Advisory Group took a truly collaborative approach to designing their logo, with each member sharing what they wanted the emblem to represent.
Around the table, they spoke about inclusion, connection and identity — ideas that were grouped into three main themes: the speech bubble, hands and people, and other meaningful elements. After gathering everyone’s input, three design concepts were created.
From a brand perspective, the speech bubble design was selected as it best reflected the group’s purpose — representing the collective voice of youth — while aligning with the Netball NSW brand guidelines.
The design incorporates dots from the NNSW logo, hands symbolising unity and diversity, and a clean, timeless aesthetic that can evolve with future Youth Advisory Group members. The result is a logo that celebrates the voice, energy and inclusiveness of young people in netball across NSW.
The Netball NSW Youth Advisory Group will meet throughout the year to provide input into youth engagement initiatives, community programs and strategies to grow participation across the state.
Meet our Youth Advisory Group in more detail here
