How Is Zanaiya Bergen Being Remembered Across Wimmera Football and Netball After Her Passing?

 For Zanaiya Bergen, sport was more than competition; it was a place where friendships formed, teams became families, and shared moments mattered. At 23, her passing has left the Navarre Football Netball Club and the wider Wimmera football and netball community facing a painful loss, with teammates, friends, opponents, coaches, and fellow players remembering someone whose presence reached well beyond a single club and touched many lives.

Across regional football and netball, Zanaiya became a familiar and respected competitor through her involvement with several leagues. She proudly represented teams in the Wimmera Football Netball League, Horsham & District Football Netball League, and Mininera & District Football Netball League, building connections along the way. Her involvement across different competitions meant that her loss was felt by people from multiple sporting circles, not only those who shared her home club. Her involvement crossed club lines and became an important part of her story.

Those who knew Zanaiya through the game remembered qualities that cannot be captured by statistics or results. Her passion for sport, dedication to her teams, and ability to bring energy and connection made an impression on teammates. Whether on a football ground or netball court, she was part of communities where commitment and camaraderie created bonds that often continued beyond match day. That belonging made her involvement meaningful to many.

Following news of her death, the Wimmera Football Netball League A and B Grade teams marked the loss with a minute’s silence. The tribute gave players and members of the sporting community a quiet moment to remember Zanaiya. In an environment usually defined by competition, the shared silence offered an expression of respect for a young player whose contribution had been valued by people across the region. The gesture also gave the community space to stand together in remembrance.

For her teammates, the grief carries a deeply personal dimension because Zanaiya was not simply another athlete wearing a club uniform. She was a friend, a familiar face, and someone with whom ordinary sporting experiences could become lasting memories. Training sessions, games, conversations, encouragement, and belonging to a team now hold a different meaning for those who knew her as they come to terms with her absence. Those experiences can become precious when a familiar presence is gone.

The response from the sporting community also shows how one person can connect different clubs and competitions. Zanaiya’s experience across the WFNL, HDFNL, and MCDFNL placed her within a network of players and supporters, giving many people a reason to remember her. Her passing has therefore brought together individuals who may have met as teammates, opponents, or fellow participants, but who now share the sorrow of losing someone connected to the sport they love. Those relationships help explain the wider response.

At the Navarre Football Netball Club, and throughout the wider Wimmera sporting community, attention now turns toward remembrance rather than competition. Family, friends, teammates, coaches, opponents, and other community members are among those affected by the loss, each carrying personal memories of Zanaiya and the role she played in their lives. Their grief cannot be measured by a scoreboard, yet the collective response makes clear that her presence mattered deeply. The shared response reflects the depth of that connection.

Zanaiya Bergen’s sporting legacy will live through those who shared fields, courts, and seasons with her. The minute’s silence offered a public tribute, while memories held by those who knew her provide something more enduring: a continuing connection to the person behind the player. As the community mourns, her passion, friendships, and dedication to sport will remain part of the sporting story she helped shape.