Netball has been an integral part of Daniel Cools' life for as long as he can remember.
The love for the sport first started watching his sisters play games with their teams, but at the time, the game was deemed to be a 'girl's sport'.
"I got into netball watching my sisters play, - unfortunately I didn't have many pathways to play, especially in that 12-year-old age bracket," Cools said.
Instead, Cools followed along with netball by watching, familiarising himself with the game.
In 2015, when PFNL's Waroona Demons needed a coach for their reserves team, Cools jumped at the chance.
"I put my hand up - I thought, I've always kept up with netball - and we had a really good season, we ended up winning the premiership in that first year."
Cools eventually ended up coaching both the league and reserve teams for Waroona, guiding them through to three premierships.
"I like to keep busy," he laughed.
"I coached both teams up until this season - this season I'm only coaching league."
It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life being able to represent my state.
- Daniel Cools
Cools said credit should go to Waroona's club environment, which encourages players to stay on long-term.
"It's such a credit to the talent in Waroona - and a credit to the club for creating an environment which people have come down for."
Cools' own netball career as a player started in 2016, when the West Coast Men's and Mixed Netball Association sent out a flyer about trials.
"I've always played basketball and I enjoy netball, so I went - and I was lucky enough to make the WA men's opens team in the first year trialling.
"It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life being able to represent my state."
Cools played five national championships with WA and when men's netball was reintroduced into the Western Australian Netball League four seasons ago, he joined Western Roar and would eventually go on to captain the team.
"In the netball community, men's and mixed netball is a space that is growing across the whole country," he said.
Another highlight that Cools named as one of his favourite experiences was when he was able to play with the men's team against the Australian Diamonds netball team.
"Not many people can say they've played against the Australian diamonds," Cools said.
"That was so rewarding."
When he's not on the court, Cools works as the manager of recreation services for the Shire of Waroona.
"I manage the Waroona rec centre and club development for a range of sports clubs.
"Sports and rec is a big passion of mine - I like to keep active, so promoting others to do the same comes naturally to me."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
