She started as a Wests junior netballer and went on to captain Australia, and now Samantha Poolman has come full circle in a new position with Newcastle's largest clubs group.
Ms Poolman has been appointed a member of the The Wests Group board of directors, following the retirement of Owen Kilpatrick, who contributed 53 years of service including 16 as chair.
"It's very exciting," Ms Poolman said. "Acknowledging the contribution of Owen and his service and passion for Wests group and for league, I'm certainly honoured and privileged for that transition."
The 32-year-old, who achieved 100 elite netball caps before retiring in 2021, has goals ranging from improving local courts to securing a national level netball team in the Hunter again.
The Wests Group CEO Philip Gardner said he was "thrilled" to welcome Ms Poolman to the board.
"With her extensive experience as an elite athlete, board member, and community leader, Sam will bring a fresh perspective and valuable insights to the table," he said.
"Her appointment fills a significant gap left by Owen Kilpatrick's retirement and reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting local talent and promoting healthy, active lifestyles in our region."
Ms Poolman said Wests has always been in her blood. Her grandfather was a founding member of the Wests 200's Club, her brother a life member of Wests Rosellas and her grandmother a life member of Wests netball.
She said the board position aligned with her passions for grassroots and women's sport. She runs Aspire Netball academy to help young netballers develop their skills, works as an expert commentator with Fox Sports for the Super Netball and is head of athlete development and foundation officer at Newcastle Grammar School.
"I've worked extremely hard my entire career to make sure that I've been upskilled in multiple areas," she said.
"While people laugh at me thinking I have no time and I work a million jobs - the reason is to make sure that I have that knowledge and experience in multiple areas rather than just being a former elite athlete."
Another area where Ms Poolman and Wests align is a desire for a Super Netball franchise in Newcastle.
Her nine year career in Australia's top level netball league was spent between Adelaide and Sydney and began after the Hunter's last professional team folded in 2007.
"I think I've been banging on their door for years," she said with a laugh.
"I was a young girl that was invited to train with the Hunter Jaegers when they were around but I never got the opportunity to play for a professional team here in the Hunter.
"While I was part of Giants Netball who were a foundation club, which was a really incredible experience, I guess that drove the passion a little bit more to start something new.
"I helped [Wests] with their NRLW bid because I knew that there were talented rugby league females from the Hunter driving up and down the freeway like I did to get opportunities to play professional footy.
"So the fact that we could endorse and create that opportunity for them and then they won a premiership obviously last year and inspired young girls from this region that they can play for their home town.
"I think for me that's super important for many reasons - we're a very passionate sporting town, people want to see live professional sports.
"So I hope netball isn't the only professional team. Basketball would be amazing as well and I know that Wests have been very vocal in the last couple of years.
"Obviously everyone understands the government needs to come to the party to make sure these facilities and these opportunities are aligning with the passion and the want from the community."
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