The Story of Claire, Soo, and a Life Built on Netball

For the Isaacs family, Maccabi wasn’t just about sport—it was a way of life. Long before Jewish day schools became the hub of community connection, Ajax (which evolved into the Maccabi we know and love today) was the place where Jewish kids met, played, and formed lifelong friendships. And for Claire and Soo Isaacs, netball was at the heart of it all.

Claire, now in her 90s, still remembers how it all started. It wasn’t exactly planned.

‘I was playing netball for Melbourne when one of the Ajax people found out there was a Jewish girl playing,’ Claire recalls. ‘They approached me and asked if I’d fill in for a game … It was at 9 o’clock at night – I had never been up that late before! That was the first time my parents ever saw me play. I must have done alright because they asked me to fill in again. And then they asked, “Would you be prepared to go to the Sydney Carnival?”’

That first carnival was just the start. Soon after, Claire found herself at her first Ajax AGM, completely unaware of what was coming next.
‘One of the cricketers nominated me as a joke,’ she recalls. ‘I heard my name, looked up, and suddenly I was Assistant Secretary. I asked, “What does an Assistant Secretary do?” and they told me, “Just send out notices.” So I thought, “I can do that!”’ But within three months, the actual Secretary stepped down, and before she knew it, Claire found herself in a key leadership role within an organisation that spanned multiple clubs.

From secretary to vice president, chaperone to team captain, coach to life member, Claire has held nearly every role imaginable within Ajax and Maccabi. But for her, it was never about the titles—it was about the people.

GROWING UP IN AJAX: A FAMILY AFFAIR

It was a total family affair; Claire met Soo’s father, Basil Isaacs, through Ajax – he was the President at the time, and she was the Secretary. Their connection to the organisation ran so deep that when Soo was born, the Jewish News announced it with:
‘Mr. and Mrs. Ajax, Basil and Claire Isaacs, became proud parents of a baby girl. Poppa says there never has been a female Ajax president, but there always has to be a first time!’

And so with that, Claire and Basil’s daughter – Soo – grew up courtside.

‘Two years old, you were in a pram on the side of a netball court,’ Claire reminds Soo with a chuckle. ‘You had a pretty good idea what life was about.’

Sport wasn’t just an activity – it was their entire world. Soo remembers taking multiple trams as an 11-year-old just to get to Royal Park for netball, where she and her teammates would spend the whole day watching and playing games. It was a time when Ajax was more than a club – it was their entire social circle.

It wasn’t just the Isaacs family – this was life for so many Jewish kids of their generation.

‘There were no Jewish day schools back then,’ Claire explains. ‘Ajax was how we all met. Your teammates became your best friends. For a lot of us, our social lives revolved around sport.’

Soo remembers how after games, she would pile her whole team into her tiny car and drive them to Johnny’s Green Room to play pool.
‘If only our mothers knew what we were really up to!’ she laughs. Claire then quickly interjects, ‘I don’t want to know!’

As mother and daughter continue to reminisce, they discuss how interstate sport carnivals were the highlight of the year, and the competition between Victoria and New South Wales was fierce.‘New South Wales always thought they were better,’ Soo recalls, ‘and we loved proving them wrong.’

And Claire makes a point to note that carnivals weren’t just about competition. They were about community, connection, and a little bit of matchmaking (or maybe a lot of matchmaking!).

Soo points at the Hall of Fame board and laughs.‘Look at this. Everyone’s married to each other. 90% of them met at carnivals!’

UNITING MACCABI AJAX NETBALL: THE CLUB MERGER

By the 1990s, Jewish netball in Melbourne was thriving, but it was also fragmented. Three branches – Ajax Juniors, Ajax Seniors, and North Eastern – were running separately, serving different parts of the Jewish community. Claire, Soo, and a group of passionate women knew that for netball to grow, these clubs had to come together. With Jewish netballers scattered across Doncaster, South Yarra, and Caulfield, it made sense to unite the clubs. Bringing them together meant stronger teams, better competition, and a thriving future for Jewish netball.

So in 1993, Maccabi Ajax Netball Club was born. The merger created a central hub for Jewish girls of all backgrounds to play together, whether they had grown up in the heart of Caulfield or had just arrived from South Africa and were now living in Doncaster.

‘The South African community played a huge role in the club’s growth,’ Claire adds. ‘Netball was big in South Africa, and as more families arrived, we knew we had to create opportunities for their daughters to play.’

Together with Sharon Roseman, Helen Steinberg, and the late Helen Adler, Claire and Soo helped lay the foundation for the club that still thrives today.

A LEGACY THAT LIVES ON

Decades later, Soo’s impact is still felt—many of her former players are now coaches, leading the next generation at Maccabi Ajax Netball. Some have even enrolled their own daughters in the club, while one, Sharon Roseman, has taken her leadership beyond the court and now proudly serves as our Co-President at Maccabi Victoria. For Soo, seeing generations continue to benefit from Maccabi is the greatest reward.

‘Sport isn’t just about winning,’ she says. ‘It’s about friendships, community, and a place to belong. That’s what Maccabi gave us.’

And Claire? Well, she was recognised as the first female Life Member of Maccabi Victoria and one of only eight Life Members of the Ajax Netball Club—a testament to her decades of dedication and service. Beyond netball, Claire played a significant role in Maccabi’s administration, serving as secretary, vice president, and Carnival chaperone. Her impact spans generations, shaping not just teams but the very fabric of Maccabi Ajax Netball and the wider Maccabi organisation.

As Maccabi celebrates 100 years, Claire and Soo’s story is a reminder that clubs aren’t just built on sport—they’re built on the people who give their time, energy, and love to keep them alive.

And if you ever run into Soo at a netball game, she’ll probably still know half the people there. After all, as she puts it:
‘I either played with them, coached them, or taught them in school,’ Soo laughs, acknowledging her 35 years as a teacher—on top of her deep involvement in netball. ‘There’s no escaping me!