The Bendigo Football Netball League are delighted to announce the B-Grade netball medal annually awarded to the player deemed the best and fairest in the B-Grade competition each season, will from season 2023 be named in honour of the late Carol Bingham.
This decision was proposed and unanimously endorsed by the BFNL Board of Management, in direct consultation with representatives of the immediate Bingham family.
In 2019, Carol Bingham was duly inaugurated as one of the first two netball specific BFNL Hall of Fame inductees for outstanding service and dedication to the BFNL, and more specifically the continued development of BFNL netball.
Boasting one of the most impressive coaching records in BFNL history, Carol Bingham coached an incredible 598 games for Kangaroo Flat, retiring at the end of 2009 after 11 years.
She coached 33 teams in her tenure at Kangaroo Flat, winning a colossal 72% of the games that she coached, a figure that most coaches can only dream of. Carol began coaching the A and B grade teams and later added C grade and 17/U, coaching as many as three grades on the same day.
Carol coached nine premierships. She coached in six A-Grade grand finals winning four premierships in 2001, 2003, 2004, and retiring after her last one in 2009. She coached in ten other grand finals winning a further five premierships in A Reserve, B Grade, and at underage level.
While coaching at the Roo’s, Carol also spent time developing and mentoring many other coaches at the club, thus ensuring the club would be left in good hands upon her retirement. In fact, the A-grade went on to win a further premiership in 2010.
Carol also contributed to the successful BFNL representative program, coaching the BFNL Open Netball Team on six occasions.
As well as coaching, Carol also contributed to the league by being part of the BFL Netball Committee. She held the position of registrar for two years, was a representative team selector on numerous occasions and assisted in conducting the BFNL netball tournament even after her retirement.
Carol was made a life member of the Kangaroo Flat Football Netball Club in 2009 and the Kangaroo Flat A-Grade Best and Fairest award is named the ‘Bingham Medal’.
Carol sadly passed away in September of 2021, but her BFNL legacy will be forever remembered.
With such an imposing record, Carol was a wonderful person who has made such a significant contribution to our League, who will now be remembered and honoured by future winners of the BFNL B-Grade netball medal as well as a BFNL Hall of Fame member.
