Val Sutherland

Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Shepparton is a great sporting City and the success of sport has not only been due to our sports champions performances but to a large degree because of the many sports supporters who develop and organise sports and make it possible for our champions to compete and be successful. One such person being honoured tonight is Val Sutherland who is being inducted into the Sports roll of honour. Val has given over 60 years’ service to Shepparton and Goulburn Valley Netball as a player, coach, umpire, administrator, Country Week manager and selector, tournament organiser, as well as being Association President, Secretary and treasurer. For many years Val has acted as game convenor and has been involved with 5 different clubs. She had a long association with the High School teams with all age groups from Grade 4 up to A Grade. As an umpire Val gained the A Grade Victorian Umpire Badge. A highlight of her career was to coach the first Shepparton Country Week premiership in 1972. Val was awarded Life Membership of the Shepparton Netball Association and the Distinction award from Goulburn Regional Netball. 

Val was also appointed level 1 coach by the Australian netball Association.

Val started the Goulburn Netball challenge competition and received the Australian Sports Medal. When Netball was shifted from Gowrie Street to McEwan Reserve, new amenities needed to be built to support the game. Money was short and Val became a shareholder in the Shepparton Netball Co-operative, responsible for raising the money to enable new facilities to be built. So many girls can thank Val for her coaching, team management, umpiring and administrating of the sport that made it possible for them to enjoy netball. Tonight we salute Val Sutherland for her lifetime of wonderful support for the sport of netball.