This is Kim's #MyFitStory

It takes a combination of talent, grit, passion and hard work to play sport at the elite level. The work doesn’t stop once you reach the top – as any athlete will tell you – staying there is a huge challenge. A challenge Kim Green has been able to continue to meet for 17 years. This talented netballer has tasted premiership glory, has been Captain and has represented her country. She’s also felt the pain of grand final loss and coped with significant injuries. For Kim, what she treasures most about netball – and why she continues to train, day in day out – is the relationships she has formed on and off the court. Whether it’s teammates, club staff or supporters, she has a sense that these people have watched much of her life’s journey as it’s played out on court. Those connections are treasured just as much as any premiership cup.

“I’ve not won a premiership since 2008, but that doesn’t make me love it any less.”

Competing at the top level and aiming for success isn’t just about training hard. As Kim explains, “Throughout the course of a year you invest everything in working towards that goal. So, losing a grand final really hurts! I’ve lost four, including two in a row where we only just lost.” But it’s the love of playing that helps Kim continue to make that personal investment year in year out.

“It was round four 2017 when I did my ACL…”

Kim’s fortitude was to be tested in 2017 when she tore her ACL. Initially she, having spoken with her surgeon, she committed to a process to return to full health. However, complications with her hamstring were to derail that process and had her questioning whether a comeback would be possible at all. “I’d been thinking the process was one of numbers. There were numbers I needed to hit to be deemed ‘fit to play’. I wasn’t hitting those numbers and knew I wouldn’t, which made me question if I’d ever play again. I knew I still wanted to play and my main concern was that I wouldn’t be able to play at the level I’d played at for me career. But I focused on playing for the enjoyment of it and ultimately had one of my best years ever.”

“NETFIT reminds me of why I started playing netball in the first place.”

Kim had competed against Netfit founder, Sarah Wall, for her entire career. When circumstance saw them playing on the same team, Kim offered Sarah a place to stay. Seeing what Sarah was doing with Netfit inspired Kim and when Sarah asked Kim to be a part of Netfit, Kim agreed. She finds great enjoyment, working with young players and helping them progress their skills. But what she finds really rewarding is delivering her message around learning to value yourself as a person, not a player. “If you value yourself based on your success as a player, that’s something that you can’t really control. Somebody else decides if you get to play on the team or not so if you don’t find the success you’ve looked for to validate you, where do you go from there? I want people to value themselves for the person they are and their relationships. The relationships I’ve formed, playing netball are what I value the most…”