#53 I’m a pregnant netballer, get me out of here!

Just to clarify for those who know me. I'm not pregnant it’s just the title of this blog! 

My two pregnancies and my wonderful daughters are a source of inspiration for my thoughts in this blog though. 

So too, is the super helpful, trailblazing, NetballHer website, devised by the forward thinking experts at England Netball & Well HQ. If you haven’t visited yet I strongly suggest you do so! Now! 

Www.netballher.co.uk 

And we’re back in the room! 

Sadly, a few months ago I was threatened with legal action by a pregnant lady who wanted to continue playing our great game throughout her pregnancy, including at one of my Netball in the Community festivals. 

I was not the only netball organiser stuck between a rock and a hard place in this situation. 

Rightly or wrongly she did play in one of my festivals before hitting the second trimester mark,  my thoughts were along the lines of ‘she’s been honest, she didn’t need to tell me and could have played with no one knowing at all’. 

She did find herself on the floor at one point though and my reaction was one of horror. 

She and her baby were fine. 

A few weeks later I found myself umpiring at another festival. The same player was there, playing. This time her pregnancy more obvious. 

There were some who were unhappy with this and approached the organiser whose stance was similar to mine, also pre warned and prepared, but most importantly going with the rules. 

This was a National Governing Body organised competition. 

There are no rules for our nation or, indeed, world netball, that says pregnant players cannot play netball. 

I’m just repeating that for those at the back (!) There is no rule to say players cannot play netball whilst pregnant.

Now, traditionally, it is the ‘norm’ that players don’t play beyond 12 weeks and umpires do not umpire beyond 16 weeks. Or that certainly is the case where I have lived & played netball most of my life! 

It wasn’t until recently, that I learned these are league bi laws, rather than globally recognised netball rules. 

Jamaica shooting legend Romelda Aitken was open about planning to play in the Suncorp Superleague (SSN) during her pregnancy and it was only Covid-19 and severe morning sickness that prevented her from doing so. 

The conversation took a turn when her SSN team dumped her after 15 seasons of service! 

It would have been very interesting to see what the conversation around her playing whilst openly pregnant would have been. 

It will happen one day either at SSN, ANZ or Superleague. I’m not sure we’re prepared for that! 

https://www.espn.co.uk/netball/story/_/id/34225309/super-netball-pregnant-romelda-aiken-george-dumped-firebirds#

Other high profile Netballers that have been open about playing whilst pregnant include Scotland midcourter Iona Christian. She announced her pregnancy following the 2023 South Africa World Cup and discussed it on Sky Netball’s Off the Court. 

https://youtu.be/FjZ2wOXX1Qw

Returning to the legal action, I tried to take as much advice as possible. 

This was problematic in itself - have a google of ‘playing netball whilst pregnant’ and you’ll see what I mean! 

Our National Governing Body, despite all the wonderful research, forward thinking and communication regarding the NetballHer website, do like to ‘sit on the fence’, which was and is, frustrating to say the least. 

I assume (but happy to be corrected!) that National and World Governing Bodies need to take into consideration and tackle Human Rights and Equality Laws. No easy task I am sure. 

I assume their hands may be tied in terms of offering useful advice! 

I think, going forward, being honest and communicating such complications - why they have to take the stance they take (ie sitting on the fence!) would be received with more understanding. At least by me! 

In the meantime I was being asked for advice by teams, leagues and festival organisers about exactly the same situation! 

The player in question’s own team weren’t comfortable with her stance and she was trying to find a team who would be happy for her to play! 

Cue lots of emails threatening legal action! 

It’s seems fairly humorous writing about it now. 

However, as a small business owner whose ethos and priority is ‘providing fun & friendly netball opportunities for all’, reading that email was far from funny. 

Imagine being a volunteer Captain or Coach, going about your everyday business, and a similar email hitting your inbox. 

One of my biggest problems with this whole situation is that it is volunteers who were asking for help from an organisation who were sat on the fence. 

These are the same volunteers who make netball happen. They deserve better.

In the end I had to write a ‘pregnancy policy’ which I shared on my website and social media channels. Many were a bit bemused by this but then they didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes! 

It was insurance reasons that made the decision for me. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, I can’t welcome pregnant players to my festivals and pay & play sessions. (Known to me at least as ‘full fat netball’ !) 

I do offer alternatives and will always help pregnant players who want to play / stay fit / maintain their skill level, whilst pregnant and postnatally. 

But to be honest, from a purely practical point of view, I can run a pay and play session with 13 players; I cannot run one with 1 pregnant player. 

As harsh as that may seem. 

The bottom line for me though is the assumption that pregnant players can be harmed, or their unborn babies harmed, if they fell or were hurt in a netball match. 

Where is the research to back this up? 

Oh that’s right, all sports science has traditionally been completed with male subjects so there is no research! Same with injuries. Same with a lot of things affecting women! 

Far from being angry with the ‘legal action’ as scary as it was to read, I applaud a lot of what the pregnant player in question wanted to achieve. 

I regard her as a trailblazer and without women like her, pushing the boundaries and asking difficult questions, where would we be in today’s society!?! 

I look forward to the day where the needed research is completed, with the outcomes backed up so I can spend more time creating opportunities to play rather than stressing about the threat of legal action. 

Lessons learnt all round, I hope!  

#51 Sport. Not women’s sport.

Periods, sports bras, menopause, equality, white kit, sexism, misogynistic behaviour, fairness, sponsorship - we are talking about it all within the ‘women’s sport’ context these days and I am right here for it! 

We’re on a path where soon (ish) we’ll just be talking about ‘sport’ rather than ‘women’s sport’ and I’m committed to helping to get to that point sooner rather than later. 

One thing we are not talking about though (and surprise, surprise I am taking up the mantle!) is facilities. 

Not for the first time either! Check our blog #11 ! 

Think about the sports facilities you have visited this week. Were there sanitary bins in every cubicle? Was there suitable lighting in the car park? Did you work out without being checked out or worse, filmed? Did you get your booked court on time or were there football / badminton / table tennis running over? Were your netball posts put out correctly? (A particular pet peeve of mine!) 

About 18 months ago I had a bit of an epiphany and decided enough was enough! 

Week after week, session after session, there was always SOMETHING I had to battle - 

🏸 Male badminton players getting sh*tty when I’ve asked them politely to wait outside for their start time, whilst my (vulnerable) group were cooling down

🔒 Locks on female toilets being broken and not fixed for over a year

 🏊‍♀️ Sports halls not being ready on time as leisure attendants are doubling up as lifeguards

💻 Receptionists not up to date on what’s happening in their Leisure Centre

✍️ Sports Halls being used for exams  

✂️ Scissors left at foot of a post ready for Mums & Tots Netball to start! 

Unfortunately there are heaps more examples but I’d like you to reach the end of my blog, rather than fall asleep!

I’ve been on a bit of a crusade since, meeting with just about any decision maker or influencer who will listen! This has included the Leader of my local Council, my local MP and councillors from various local parties. 

The majority, I am pleased to say, have listened to hear rather than listened to respond. I have learnt during this process they are very different things! 

I have also learnt that the wheels of democracy are a lot slower than my normal pace. Patience is not one of my strengths! 

Trying to explain and evidence my thoughts of why these problems keep cropping up is my biggest challenge. 

I have no qualms in stating that many (but not all) of my experiences are entrenched in misogyny. The attitudes and behaviours of mainly white, middle aged men (a sweeping statement I know, but it is my lived experience) is so out of touch I’ve been speechless in disbelief. 

Proving it and explaining it is so challenging  though.

‘Misogyny is a way of thinking that upholds the primary status of men and sense of male entitlement while subordinating women and limiting their power and freedom. It’s about making women condone and stay in line’ - Baroness Helena Kennedy. 

My biggest achievement during this time is successfully writing a Full Council Motion aiming to improve provision in the local area’s sport and leisure facilities for women and girls. 

 https://democracy.portsmouth.gov.uk/documents/b16868/Amendment%20to%20Motion%208c%20-%20Portsmouth%20City%20Councils%20support%20for%20the%20improvement%20of%20women%20and%20girls%20s.pdf?T=9

Unfortunately the only positive outcome, so far, from this motion being passed, is I am no longer called ‘Love’ by staff members of the organisation the council contracts to run local sports facilities! 

My feeling is, that is because I was able to evidence it - the organisation in question even checked CCTV! 

Other outcomes are pending…….

There has been no communication, publicity or directly, on any of the resolutions passed by the Council last November. 

Namely 

* To work with education establishments to ensure equality in their community use sports facilities, support and find solutions to facility issues and ensure these issues do not impact on pupil / student sports participation. 

• Review and seek to increase the provision of space for female sports participants.         

                                                                                                                                                 
• Gain insight and educate sports and leisure facility providers on the historical sexist and misogynistic attitudes towards women and girls in sport, in an attempt to end behaviour and attitudes that pose a barrier to Portsmouth female participation in sport and activity.  

Education is key. 

I don’t in any way shape or form believe that the experiences I have had or the treatment I have received has been malicious. It stems, rather, from tradition, out of date attitudes and ignorance. 

The most positive responses I have had is when I’ve actually called out this sexist or misogynistic behaviour. I’ve picked my moment (although I acknowledge this in itself isn’t ideal) but the results have been apologies and realisation that language used needs to be more considered. 

Let’s keep calling out this behaviour and these attitudes! Without takin such action change won’t happen! 

Perhaps more succinctly explained here! https://www.businessandindustry.co.uk/sport/what-does-a-truly-female-friendly-leisure-centre-look-like/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0K8EnJt7SWQMOfX_uyTu70Jrt-7t7FmOl7kiLzemiNftqVnM7ag84UHgo_aem_5bU1z9EQddEupc7XDYP6ng

#50 BINGO!

Now here’s something I never thought I’d be writing about for my 50th blog - comparisons between netball & bingo! 

Stay with me! 😉

Specifically, the welcome newbies get and the ‘first time’ experience.

I don’t do ‘new things’ very often and I am conscious that one of my weaknesses as a Back to Netball Coach & Walking Netball Host, is that I don’t know how it feels to walk through that sports hall door / court gate for the first time. 

In many ways it’s such a pivotal moment in time. For women, in particular, taking that first step through the door is the hard part - the welcome they receive and the first impression they have, often contributes to whether they come back - or even stay! 

So, my experience at Bingo was always going to be a bit ‘loaded’ but I was keen to learn, as well as observe! 

Firstly, as always, there is safety in numbers and there were ten of us rocking up to the bingo to celebrate a birthday. 

Coincidently we are all Netballers, but I digress, most importantly we were all first timers. 

Our fabulous organiser posted the membership form on our what’s app group a few days before & we all duly ‘signed up’. We, enthusiastically, arrive with more than an hour to go before ‘eyes down’. 

Just as well, as I kid you not, I was waiting 35 minutes in the newbie queue, waiting patiently for membership as apparently, the website doesn’t work! 

Now, you can say what you like about ENgage, England Netball’s membership platform, and you only need to look at social media in the run up to 1st September, to see that members frequently do! 🤬

But, I’m yet to hear of anyone waiting outside a training session because sign up hasn’t worked! 

Whilst waiting for 35 minutes I was also being looked up and down by ‘regulars’ who, on mass, ‘popped out the front’ for a cigarette break or fresh air. (or not as the case may be!) 

Two things here. 

1. Waiting 35minutes to sign up for your average Back to Netball session would see over half the session completed! 

2. The Bingo Club was 20% full on the evening we attended. When we struggled at my last B2N session with numbers, the regulars could not have been more accommodating / enthusiastic / patient / welcoming / friendly. They wanted more team mates so they could play full games! 

Bingo players didn’t seem to like ‘competition’ which is odd because surely the more people who turn up means more money to win and more chance that your only ‘20% full club’ might survive long term! 

I’m not intimidated easily, but some of those women, ‘the regulars’, really did get under my skin. I wouldn’t have waited in the queue alone. 

35minutes in the queue was a clue that Bingo wasn’t all that well staffed that evening! And so it proved. 

Only one (very hardworking!) lady serving both behind the bar and their hot food outlet led to long queues and some very despondent customers - mostly regulars again I hasten to add. 

The staff, although few, did not disappoint with their welcome and super helpfulness. Michelle, in particular, was a godsend - she handed me £17 in winnings when I didn’t even know I had won! 

You’d have thought Bingo was a simple game but good grief, with the implementation of tablets, as well as books, plus the ‘boards’ during intervals it was really a bit of a minefield! You had games for in house, as well as national games and then had to contend with not only ‘a line’ and ‘full house’ but ‘2 lines’ as well! New bingo concept to me! 

But then if I was a complete newbie to netball all those rules and constant whistle would also be quite overwhelming! 

I would never ‘pull up’ a newbie or any back to netball participant for that matter, for every rule infringement - they’d never get to play! Perhaps Bingo could learn something from netball in this vein and have a ‘starter’ pack or session for new to bingo-ers! 

Probably best not leave that to the ‘regulars’ though! 

Now, despite the wait, dodgy website, regulars not being particularly welcoming, drinks not quite on tap etc we’ve all agreed we are going to Bingo again! 

Bit strange given my complaints you may think. 

But there’s every incentive to go back to Bingo when you’ve taken home nearly £500 in winnings (between us, to clarify) and you’ve been given so many vouchers that next time we go it’s going to cost us £9 for a whole evening’s entertainment, including a drink and a meal! 

Perhaps Netball relies too much on the product to get people to return and needs to take a leaf out of Bingo’s book (!) and include some incentives! 

#49 When is a Back to Netballer, no longer a Back to Netballer?

Early doors admission, I’m not going to be able to answer the question! I'm not sure anyone will be able to, to be honest. 

I think it’s worth exploring though as my own recent experience and looking at nationwide trends, indicates it might be becoming an issue. 

Back to Netball is a hugely successful programme introduced by the National Governing Body in 2010. I have had the privilege of delivering it almost since the beginning and believe it to be one of the best programmes ever created, not just in netball, but sport in general. 

The Netball South West website puts the figures at more than 110,000 participants. That is an incredible amount of netballers being introduced or reintroduced back into the sport.*

According to the EN website Back to Netball is ‘welcoming, fun and understanding. It is a series of sessions that introduces people back to the sport of netball. It's primarily for women who haven’t played for a long time or have never played at all and are complete beginners!’ *

So, when does it finish then?!? By nature of the title it surely can't be never ending?!?

Example from my own experience as a Back to Netball Coach: we had an incredibly popular session in Fareham (Hampshire) which regularly saw 30+ participants at an hour session each week. It was a huge learning curve for me as a Coach, not just delivering that programme, to that amount of people, but also managing expectations and meeting needs of the participants. 

It was fairly quickly evident, that there were different needs and motivations of the participants and therefore pretty easy to split the session, incorporating a 'Next Steps' concept. 

With hindsight it would have been awesome to have that session at the same time as the original Back to Netball session, but on this occasion (and probably not uncommon, unfortunately!) venue and coach availability meant the Next Steps followed the B2N session. 

It was hugely successful and served as a stepping stone to regular matches. Indeed, the team is still going in local league nearly 10 years on, with many of the originals still participating. 

I was spoilt back then because the session was easy to split and it's the identification of the motivations and needs of those participants that is key. 

For me the NGB didn't react quick enough to the success of Back to Netball, failing to provide a sustainable national programme to entice those new Back to Netballers to become members. 'I Love Netball' leagues popped up occasionally but, in my opinion, the national infrastructure didn't support it. 'Next Steps' was dabbled with but was never taken seriously at a national level, to be a contender. 

To be fair they may well have been taken by surprise by the success. 

The outcome is that many Back to Netballers wanted more and went elsewhere! (Please see Blog #3 The corporate stain on the netball community)

Side thought (!) Can we put a time limit on being a Back to Netballer? For example if you haven't played for a year? 

I don't think so as that would make most of us Back to Netballers after Covid! 

Will England GS George Fisher be a Back to Netballer after her ACL recovery? Aussie Greta Bueta after the birth of her second child? 

Unlikely : ) 

So, where are we today? In the last year I have been delighted to take on a new Back to Netball session - my first since way before Covid. I had forgotten how much I enjoy delivering it and have met some fantastic people. 

My experience is pretty much the same as before though! 

We've bought in over 75 new to netballers through the doors, credit to the 6 or so ladies I inherited from the previous incumbent, who worked their socks off to promote the session. 

We've identified volunteers and potential coaches, who are in the process of upskilling and gaining coaching qualifications. I'm not sure this is focused upon around the Country and I would love to know out of those 110,000 participants how many have gone on to become volunteers, coaches and umpires. 

Unfortunately, at our recent session, we have seen a dramatic drop off of first timers not coming back for a second session. I believe this is a national trend but currently there is no public insight as to why this is happening. 

No surprise, I have my own ideas! : ) 

Back to Netballers who regular attend sessions often improve their skills and form friendship groups quickly. Newbies coming through the door can often find that intimidating.  

I don't believe its intentional but unless it's acted upon quickly, before you know it, you no longer have a B2N session, you have a team / club session. I'm as guilty as anyone else allowing this to happen - as far as I am concerned as long as everyone is smiling and red faced, leaving, it's been a successful session! I need more specific measures! 

That environment is no good for potential Back to Netball participants, who haven't played for years, don't take part in any other activity and are nervous walking through the doors for the first time. 

I do struggle to understand that mentality because I've always been a netballer. 

The one experience I do have, that I can compare it to, is when I was long term injured and tried sitting volleyball. 

I had heart palpations and sweaty hands before I even left my house, let alone getting to the venue! 

The session was mixed abilities and whilst everyone couldn't be more welcoming, I didn't return. 

Do you know why? 

It was two hours of torture on my hands which were sore, blistered and bleeding by the end. I was pelted by bullets by national sitting volleyballers for much of the session. Two hours was far too long for a newcomer and the mixed abilities just didn't fit, just like a Club or Team session is the wrong programme for a netball first timer. 

Each Back to Netball session is different and it is down to the Coaches to identify the needs and motivations of each participant. It is also up to the NGB to listen to those Coaches. 

Back to Netball remains an incredible programme with thousands of participants up and down the country every week. The legacy has to be how many of those participants remain netballers and I don't believe we have got that sustainability quite right yet. 

We also can't answer: When is a Back to Netballer, no longer a Back to netballer?! 

* correct at time of publishing

#48 What’s in a venue?

I had a passing, but thought provoking, conversation with an acquaintance recently. It was a surprise catch up where mid conversation she remarked ‘well, die-hard netballers will play anywhere. Those new to activity might be a bit more discerning!’

She’s right of course. 

I have played and coached in some absolute cess pools of venues - school playgrounds where the main challenge was to avoid the pot holes to 8 hour coach journey’s where the venue had one toilet for 12 teams! 

Southampton Sports Centre is a hub for netball on the South Coast, but you soon learn to take your own toilet paper rather than risk the tracing paper provided! Those toilets haven’t had an upgrade since they were built, before I was born. 

The recent Well HQ / England Netball pilot programme I was involved with also highlighted how sports venues are not exactly encouraging for women’s activity. 

For example, we were asked to check our venue’s sanitary bin allocation. The majority of us reported back inadequate facilities. The sad part was no one was really surprised. 

Other issues included doors hanging off cubicles and long term broken locks to wider issues effecting mainly (you guessed it) women’s participation - insufficient lighting in car parks, no public transport links, I could go on! 

Why does it matter? 

Well a lot when you’re trying to attract new people to your sport! 

Following our home Commonwealth Games we will again expect an increase in participation. I always find this really exciting and I can see from the NGB website that there are a number of free taster sessions available following the netball final. 

It’s great that our NGB is forward thinking and providing these opportunities. I know it will be a huge success! 

I wonder how many of these venues are really suitable for women brand new to activity though? 

Most people reading this are probably Netballers and active at least once a week if not more. 

It’s difficult for us to imagine not being active but for the purpose of making my point, please give it a go! 

Your experience of school PE might have been really poor, you might not have done any exercise at all for 20+ years, you might be overweight or returning to activity following a long term illness or pregnancy, you might have low self esteem or a mental health issue. 

You might be experiencing all the above! 

Now imagine walking through those leisure centre or school sports hall doors for the first time. In many cases that’s the hardest part and there will be many who don’t reach that far. 

So, yes venues are important - equally as important as a warm welcome (how many first timers’ first experience will be a receptionist!?!) and qualified, experienced Coaches. I’ve long held the view that just because you might be a Level 2 Coach doesn’t make you a good Back to Netball Coach. 

I’m currently having discussions about the venue I have been delivering Back to Netball in. We have had all sorts of problems including the court not being ready on more than one occasion, posts not secure, anti social behaviour, poor attitudes from staff, unclean and unsafe toilets and as we’re coming towards winter and darker evenings, I am concerned about the lighting in the car park and the poor transport links. 

I need to review how I communicate these issues to the powers that be, as it’s pretty clear from the responses I get that my points are not being understood. 

Sometimes my passion and frustration get the better of me but I am big enough to admit to my shortcomings. I intend to improve! 

The people I am talking to absolutely do their best but it’s the decision makers who may well be the bottlenecks - not the messengers. 

I wonder if I was a male organiser of a long term 5aside football hire, I might have different responses. 

It might be that this session is a victim of its own success. 

We have increased the participation by more than triple and the ladies have felt confident enough over the past couple of months to enter local fun & friendly festivals. They’re a passionate bunch and I admire their tenacity and willingness to get things done! 

When promotion for this session wasn’t exactly forthcoming they took it upon themselves to design and print posters, sharing them on social media and plodding the local streets to spread the Back to Netball love! 

They wanted to encourage more women to join them. 

All the time they’re doing it, of course, it doesn’t need to be done by those whose job it is! Viscous circle. 

Of all the indoor venues I am currently using for netball not one of them is ‘satisfactory’ ! The Back to Netball one has many problems already discussed, another venue I use doesn’t even have netball markings down! A new venue for Walking Netball isn’t full size - but it’s an improvement on the previous venue which we couldn’t use for two weeks in November and all of January, every year, as they use the hall for exams. 

We need to acknowledge, of course, that there is clearly a lack of sports facilities in the UK, particularly indoor. More often than not netball organisers have to take what is offered. 

I think, until recently, it hasn’t occurred to us to mind. 

Well, I mind. I mind that we’re not a priority, I mind that when I want a wee I have to go to three different cubicles before I find a lock that works and I mind that my session doesn’t start on time because the leisure centre haven't employed enough staff and they have to double up on life guarding and putting badminton nets away. 

I am an adaptable coach. But why should I constantly adapt? Why aren’t venues doing more or taking responsibility for what they are paid for? 

If I went into Tesco and bought a pint of milk for £1.45 I’d expect a plastic bottle, milk and a lid. 

Currently at my Back to Netball session the venue is giving me the equivalent of a lidless pint of milk which is no good to anyone and not what is paid for! (I do LOVE a Tesco analogy!) 

Recently I took my Walking Netballers to a friendly game out of the area for an end of season ‘jolly’. The venue was only 45minutes up the road but the difference in experience compared to our ‘norm’ was vast! 

We were greeted at reception who were ready for us and made sure we knew where everything was - changing room, toilets, water fountain and sports hall. We got in on time and the staff knew where the posts belonged (I’ve lost count of times I’ve had to move posts from volleyball / basketball lines to Netball) All the staff were polite and friendly and we had a great hours game in clean, safe surroundings with a fab atmosphere. 

I learnt from that evening. 

I learnt that it is not as difficult as some venues make out and it is OK to mind. I mind because I am a good coach and I want the best experience for my participants. They deserve it and so do I. 

#47 One Awards

I’m sure like many coaches, I sometimes feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall! 

Like many good coaches, I try to reflect on this, change my language or try a different approach - being a better coach as a consequence and meeting the needs of participants. 

In terms of advocating for Netball volunteers I feel like I’ve been banging my head on a brick wall for a much more significant amount of time - the wall is crumbling! Not because of the hardness of my head though, but through age!

I’ve long held the strong view that Netball doesn’t happen without volunteers and therefore they should be appreciated, nurtured and made to feel valued, at every given opportunity. 

I have this view from experience - both as a volunteer and as someone who relies on volunteers. 

I am incredibly frustrated at the lack of acknowledgement and treatment of volunteers and feel that I’ve come to a crossroads in my lobbying for better treatment. 

My region held their One Awards recently (previously Goalden Globes) and for me, as a very grateful nominee, it was one disaster after another. 

I received an email inviting me to the event on a certain date and time but at a venue to be confirmed. My ticket would be free but any one I brought would need to pay - not exactly the vibe of a celebration or appreciation! 

Based on this lack of information I moved Heaven & Earth to be able to attend - childcare, cover for a festival I was organising and transport (of sorts when it could be at one of two venues in different cities!) It cost me money as well as time. 

A week later I read on social media, no less, that the venue had been confirmed but the date changed! Not even a personal apology or notification! I was livid. (TBF though all tickets were now free!) 

Not exactly how awards and acknowledgement is meant to make a volunteer feel! 

I was even less enthralled with the response I had when I complained about the lack of communication and inconvenience. 

When is our NGB going to invest in some proper customer service? 

The One Awards have had a revamp. I was a critic of the previous incarnation, Goalden Globes, as they didn’t reflect the evolution that Netball has had in recent years and you also couldn’t nominate people who are not affiliated. 

I was delighted that the awards had been rebranded - what an opportunity to review the award criteria to reflect what’s happening in netball right now and even future proof it so it stays current! I was visualising an award for supporters, maybe social media influence and reflecting programmes such as Back to Netball and Walking Netball. 

Upon investigation I was to be disappointed. 

You still have to be an affiliated member of England Netball to be nominated for a One Award. I think this is very short sighted. 

According to the NGB website there are 100,000 affiliated members in the country but 1.3million people playing. That’s 1.2million people having netball delivered for them in some other capacity other than through the NGB. 

How many netball volunteers are we ignoring because of this decision? Could the One Awards be used to engage with this huge amount of Netballers?! 

I have several deserving volunteers in my Walking Netball group. They’re not affiliated and have no reason to be. I can’t nominate any of them for a One Award. 

I’ve been watching & applauding the Queen’s Baton Relay in the run up to the Commonwealth Games. 

I was ecstatic that a local netball volunteer, one of many I nominated, was chosen to carry the baton - outside Charles Dickens Birth place no less! (Disclaimer that volunteer also happens to be my Mum) 

Through social media I saw that other netball volunteers around the country had also been given the honour. You’d think that would be a great opportunity for netball nationally to celebrate the CWG and our amazing volunteers chosen to be baton bearers. No such luck though, there was an ‘after thought’ tweet that may or may not have been written after a little social media persuasion! 

Just because the NGB isn’t nationally going above and beyond to ensure volunteers are given the recognition they deserve, doesn’t mean to say it isn’t happening. 

Some of the social media content from regions other than my own regarding One Awards has been superb! There has been live tweeting (took me 24 hours to know whether i’d won or not as an absentee!), videos and some superb photographs. This will all add to the celebration and the feeling of appreciation felt by volunteers, I am sure. 

I have long admired some of the work franchises are doing in this space. Manchester Thunder never miss an opportunity to show appreciation to their volunteers - if you listen to Debbie Hallas, Karen Grieg and Tracey Neville it is clear they sing from the same hymn sheet and stay ‘on brand’ with a tonne of appreciation for their supporters. 

London Pulse are also another franchise doing great things in the community - real trailblazers in the disability and diversity space and you can’t do that without buy in and significant support from volunteers. 

It’s clear there are some fabulous ideas to support and appreciate our netball volunteers from all different areas of the netball family - they just need to be pulled together! 

The NGB need to start listening to hear rather than listening to respond. 

To be fair it not just our National Governing Body who doesn’t understand ‘awards for volunteers’. 

UK Coaching launched their 2022 awards recently - the criteria for each award itself is like War & Peace. Great if you are having trouble sleeping but not really helpful if you are a volunteer wanting to nominate a fellow volunteer! 

I follow these awards intently each year and have even made some nominations - not an easy task and this is what I take exception to. 

Why do we make it so hard to acknowledge our volunteers? I understand that we want to reward the ‘right’ people but why does that mean it has to be such a time consuming task…… no doubt it is normally fellow volunteers doing the nominating! 

I call on these big national organisations to do what all good coaches should do - reflect on your most recent volunteer awards, change language or try a different approach - being better as a consequence and meeting the needs of volunteers, as well as inspiring new ones! 

https://www.ukcoaching.org/events/our-awards/criteria

#46 Let’s talk about the booing!

Conservative guesstimate, 75% of you reading this will have volunteered at some point in your lives. 

Whether it’s coaching, umpiring or as a committee member. Maybe you book the venue for training, wash the bibs, order kit or equipment or organise your team socials. 

Perhaps your volunteering doesn’t take place within netball or sport - you might listen to children read at the local school, visit a vulnerable pensioner or help out at a community centre - I suspect we’ve all completed some sort of volunteering at some point in our lives. 

Now imagine completing your volunteering with a baying crowd all booing at you! 

That’s exactly the treatment of umpires I have been witness to this Superleague season. 

I had an interesting (and good-natured, polite) debate with some of my fellow Surrey Storm supporters at one of the last home games of the season. One very passionate Storm fan thought standing, gesticulating and booing the umpire, was acceptable. She was probably far more surprised that the said umpire was a volunteer, than she was at me, calling her out for the booing!

I’ve thought on more than one occasion this season that the Vitality Superleague, National Governing Body or even the franchises should possibly do something about the booing - I really feel that it’s not in keeping with the game. Not sure what though and for the umbrella organisations, at least, fan engagement hasn’t really been a strong point! 

No doubt we will hear booing at the Commonwealth Games next month. We hear it on TV watching the Suncorp Super Netball and ANZ leagues. 

I heard booing at the 2019 World Cup although I much preferred the crowd’s voice used for more positive reasons - ‘we want Dunn’ for example! 

All of these competitions’ umpires, (and table officials for that matter) are volunteers. They do not get paid for their umpiring. They may get ‘expenses’ towards their travel - but I doubt very much that covers petrol, wear & tear on vehicles, public transport, food and accommodation. 

Whilst we’re on the subject, umpires do not get paid for their physical training to make sure they are in peak condition to ‘keep up’ with mostly professional or semi professional athletes. They may get funding for qualifications and CPD if they’re lucky, but the form filling for funding and time spent undertaking practice and qualifications, will be voluntary. 

Ideally our umpires, table officials and other volunteers who make the game happen, will be recompensed appropriately, in time. Will I find booing acceptable then? Probably not, but that’s a debate for another day! 

Netball can’t happen without umpires. 

Let’s see if we can remember that in the CWG final when the GK is pulled for obstruction with a matter of seconds to go. 😉 

Footnote: in looking for an appropriate image to accompany this blog there was not one image of a specifically netball crowd ‘booing’ to be found! Long may that continue!