Talented goal shooter Krystal Dallinger moved to Newcastle to attend the Hunter Academy of Sport.

Leaving her home town brought challenges but a number of doors opened to her through Compass Housing’s Grow A Star program.

Krystal shared her story as applications opened for Grow A Star’s Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation youth scholarships.

The initiative provides financial help and mentoring to young people aged between 15 and 18 to realise academic or sporting goals.

Krystal, 17, said she and mother Caroline had to leave a lot behind when they came to live with her grandmother in Newcastle.

“The Grow a Star funding was big” for both of them, the former Dubbo College student said.  

“It allowed me to put myself out there to develop my netball skills through the academy and then [Australian netballer] Sam Poolman’s Aspire program,” she said.

Krystal said both the Hunter Academy of Sport and Aspire helped with all aspects of her netball game but the most valuable benefit was the boost to her confidence.

She said Grow a Star coordinator Shane Marshall was a big supporter and there for her “at the drop of a hat”.

A member of the Kamilaroi nation, Krystal and her mum gave Poolman a hat with indigenous designs as a thank you.

Later the GWS Giants keeper offered her the chance to design the club’s dress for its indigenous round match.

“I never thought in a million years I’d be able to do something this amazing for the Giants and for NAIDOC,” Krystal said.

Mindful of the opportunity Grow a Star gave her, Krystal has given back to other young netballers.

She raised $2000 for the Confident Girls Foundation by gaining sponsors to donate a dollar for every goal she scored in the month of June.

The foundation provides shoes and dresses to girls in regional Australia to help them play netball. 

Last year Krystal gained a place as a shooter in the Hunter United Diamonds that plays in the Sydney competition.

This year she will play for the Central Coast Heart.

She said she would love to one day wear the national team’s uniform but she is focused on setting and achieving small goals, one by one.

“I will see where netball takes me,” she said.

A total of 25, $2000 scholarships are available for people aged between 15 and 18 from the NSW Central West, Upper Hunter and Mid-North Coast regions who live in, or are eligible for, community housing.

Grow A Star spokesman Martin Kennedy said the scholarships were to help with educational or sporting equipment and fees.

“The scholarships will help young people to be stars in the classroom or the sporting arena,” Mr Kennedy said.

“Many of our scholarship recipients have been able to play representative sport, participate in extracurricular activities or buy that laptop that helps to get assignments done,” he said.

Grow A Star is an initiative of the NSW-based, not for profit, community housing provider Compass Housing. 

Compass uses its own resources and sponsorships and donations from other individuals and organisations to offer the program to all community housing tenants, not just its own.

The 25 new scholarships have been made possible by a grant from the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation’s latest funding round. 

To apply or find out more visit www.compasshousing.org/community-programs/grow-star.