Nathan Barns and his wife Leanne have two boys Lachlan and Jack, both of whom played domestically for their entire junior days. Jack played WABL for East Perth before concentrating on his domestic games. Nathan still coaches domestically and has done for the last 10 years.
He also enjoys playing basketball himself and is currently playing A Grade social league one night a week.
So, how did Nathan come to find himself on the Perth Redbacks Board? He says:
“It is important to me to be able to assist others. My day job as a financial planner enables to me to do this in a financial way and I’m always seeking opportunities to assist outside of this. I’ve been serving on a local primary school board for nine years and had just began exploring other opportunities. I was fortunate that Rob Pyne, PBA Treasurer, is a great friend of mine. He mentioned to me one day that an opportunity may be available at the Redbacks in the SBL Program. This was very appealing as not only would I be able to assist in a ‘business’ way, but I’d be able to combine it with my love for basketball. A meeting with the President and Vice President followed and whilst I was hesitant at first as I was unsure what I getting into, and the level of commitment, I’m so glad I followed my heart and am now part of the Redbacks family.”
While Nathan’s time on the Board to date has been short, he’s found the warm way he’s been embraced by the club to be incredibly energising. He says:
“This is across all elements from the President, the board, the coaching staff, and the administration team. And of course, the playing group on both the women’s and men’s sides.”
He reckons it took only seven days for the WSBL team to coin a nickname for him.
Nathan has really enjoyed spending time getting to know the SBL players and coaches and hopes to play a part in assisting them to achieve what they want to achieve in the future, not only on the court but also with their life goals. He sees that being a member of the Redbacks is not just about basketball, it is a real family community and he wants the experience for everyone to be a fun one.
What excites Nathan about what the future holds for the Perth Redbacks? He says:
“The Redbacks are going places. I think they are getting the right people in the right positions to take this club with such a proud history to a new level. On the court, we have not only great players, great coaches but great people. This is going to be important, as we want as a priority great people. This will lead to better outcomes both on and off the court. The programs we have in place from three-year-olds right through to SBL ensure we have a clear path for our juniors. When they join us as two-year-olds, this is their basketball family and this is the place they will stay and play their state-level basketball. I think the SBL as a league is about to rise to another level and I look forward to playing my role in helping our SBL program achieve sustained success.”