Sunday, 27 October 2019

#6 Incredible Women

I read an article recently, from Australia, ( it’s actually here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-14/how-netball-clubs-lure-professional-women/11489230?pfmredir=sm ) that got me thinking about all the incredible women I have met through netball.

The article (in case you didn’t read it in the above paragraph!) was very much about ‘country / outback’ netball, the ‘release’ netball gives hardworking women and the challenges they overcome to be successes in their careers, as well as on court. It’s an inspiring read and one that reminded me what inspirational and influential women I have had the pleasure to share time with on and off the court!



My Back to Netball coaching & Walking Netball hosting days are particularly interesting to this subject. To get to know your participants, a hugely important part of the success of these programmes, one of the questions regularly asked is ‘what do you do / did you do for a living?’ I always used to listen out for the most surprising answers which included a radio jingle composer, a clown (children’s entertainer) and antiques expert. (An actual celeb of sorts!)

A few years ago now I was asked to coach a group of non Netballers (pre back to netball days) who were all new to the area, staying for a year, as part of a multi agency military project! (DSTL if you want a Google!)

The project was shrouded in mystery and the netball part was a bit of ‘team bonding’ but I was able to confirm I had a number of pilots, scientists, mathematicians and professors in the ranks! It might have been a military ‘thing’ but just the way these women held themselves was impressive, as well as their enthusiasm and quickness to form a ‘team’ environment despite not really knowing each other outside of their top secret project!

Professional Services also seem to be keen on offering netball as an out of office opportunity to their workforce. Solicitors and accountancy firms make up many a team in local social leagues and have been popular, along with universities, colleges and schools, at fun, mixed festivals.

My experience of coaching such ‘office’ teams is plentiful and it’s the way the ‘hierarchy’ mix is what impresses me most: Senior Partners earning mega bucks mixing it up with cleaners and receptionists. On court it doesn’t matter how much you earn or what decisions you are responsible for: you are all important cogs of a successful machine.

You don’t have to have a first class degree  to enjoy netball and provide inspiration to others! (Obviously!)

Regular readers will know I had the best time at the World Cup in Liverpool this past summer - what really made it though was the people I went with. Women from all walks of lives, all of whom I have met through netball in some way or another! Some have known me since I was a baby, others I babysat when they were babies!

In that mix are family and non family, all ages, backgrounds and born in far flung places, married, divorced and everything in between. Those who are highly educated, those who aren’t, those who are retired and live comfortably, those who will probably never retire. Mums, Nans and those who haven’t had children: some who would like to, others that haven’t or didn’t. Some well travelled, others not so. All with different experiences in life, stories to tell and secrets to keep. All unique in their own ways.

You probably wouldn’t see them together in any other walk of life. But netball, well it’s special isn’t it? It brings together incredible women!

Friday, 11 October 2019

#5 Blue Rinse Brigade, I salute you!

I have an admission to make! I wasn’t a very nice netballing teenager!

There are many examples of my terrors but the one that demonstrates this aptly follows: I organised a petition to get rid of our County Under 18 Coach because I thought she was useless! I am ashamed. Obviously I would deal with such circumstances in a very different way now, I’m less than a year away from the big 4-0, after all!

I had a bit of a problem with netball authority you see and liked to rebel against the establishment. (Some of you reading this may be chuckling to yourself thinking not a lot has changed!)

Unfortunately, in my area, most of these figures were women of a certain age who had been in their voluntary positions for many years. They weren’t necessarily open to new ideas or suggestions from a stroppy teenager who didn’t have a polite word to say to anybody!

Therefore, I did label a fair few of them (near and far) the Blue Rinse Brigade!

Perhaps that age milestone is playing on my mind a bit! I look round at my club training sessions now and think ‘Wow! some of these girls are young enough to be my daughters - they must think I am ancient! I’m far off a blue rinse yet, however as a Coach who is always wanting to progress I am mindful of the relationship I have with these team mates and charges and will continue to be so.



As I typed that previous paragraph I realised  that actually my own mother is part of that training session, so therefore many of those players are young enough to be her granddaughters! She won’t thank me for that but I will redeem myself my stating she still outclasses many of them! 😉

I am also one to reminisce and love a netball memory or two!

We had an awesome volunteer Chairperson of the local league, who was committed, reliable, highly organised, fair and sooooo incredibly passionate about netball. She wore many netball volunteer hats and was actually the person I sent the aforementioned petition too!

Now, understandably, after that point we didn’t really get along that well! Our paths crossed a few times (she was an assessor of my Umpire C Award for example - story for another time!) and a few years later she retired out of the area.

Now, has netball in the area ever really been the same since she left? Hell no. Like any league or area structure we have our netball ups and downs but it’s definitely a case of not knowing what you’ve got until it’s gone!

Another example of how not to stereotype our more mature netball volunteers comes from the Coaching Network I set up just over a year ago.

Knowing that coaching can be a very isolating experience and with a need for more support in our area, I invited some local coaches to get together once a month to share ideas, best practice and lend a hand to each other, when needed.

It’s been a great success, even if I do say so myself (!) but an important part of that success is the contribution of our eldest member, who will probably be reading this and panic stricken that I’ve mentioned her!

Her willingness to listen is what I’m most impressed by. She listens to hear, not to react. Yes, she contributes a huge amount. She has bundles of experience and her knowledge and stories are of great benefit to the rest of the group but, by her own admission, she wants to stay fresh and benefits just as much, if not more, than the rest of the group.

I have discussed with her how much I admire her attitude and commitment to stay up to date and admitted that I find it refreshing, as it’s not always been my experience with coaches or netball volunteers older than me! If I am half the coach this lady is, when I am her age, I will be exceptionally happy.

Perhaps my views, in the past and in the present, are ageist. If that is the case I really do apologise and promise to do better. Whilst my behaviour as a young Netballer wasn’t always to my own standards now, you do hold views based on your own experiences.

What I have learnt though that not all ‘Blue Rinse Brigaders’ are out to ruin your netball experiences! They have values and experiences that can benefit your own, they hold legacies that should not be ignored and more than that, the vast majority of them have been volunteering in netball for donkey’s years. The truth of the matter is you might not be playing without them!

I salute you Blue Rinse Brigade, I apologise for my past behaviours and will embrace you all from now on. Thank you for your devotion to netball!

Just for the record, when the time comes I will be going for the purple rinse! 💜

Tuesday, 1 October 2019

#4 Poaching - & I’m not talking eggs!

My memories of being bought up around a netball court (you’ve always wondered why I am like I am, right?!) are largely positive. I was surrounded by strong, feisty women playing a sport they loved and I was learning the importance of being in a team, organisation, leadership and loyalty. (amongst other things)

Loyalty is a really important to me, not just in netball, but in everyday life. I have high expectations of people and when they fall short, I am left disappointed.

One memory I do have was the ‘scandals’ involving ‘poaching’. It’s not a word you hear in netball circles so much these days but it basically means (my understanding anyway) ‘a player leaving a club for a rival club, not in the best of circumstances’

Whilst it may not be called the same, we all know it happens.

I’ve always been confused by the motivations of the player involved and, more so, the reasons they give for moving teams.

As a fairly experienced coach, I understand the need for players to keep improving and have actually encouraged players, particular young, potentially talented athletes, to move on and fulfil their potential. This normally happens in a very positive and structured way, with the support of all coaches, parents or guardians and it is what is best for the player. In my experience it has reaped benefits with the player going on to fulfil that potential and have the best netball experience possible.

My only one slight ‘splitting of hairs’ in this situation is  the ‘elite’ club seemingly taking all the credit for the development of said player. That may well be a blog for another day!

‘Poaching’ by way of its nature is not done in a positive, structured way. I would say it is fraught with deception, deflection and down right dishonesty! It’s not what i’m In netball for and i’d prefer not to have to use such language to describe any part of our great game.



My first experience of ‘poaching’ was actually the ousting of a volunteer Coach by players and not one, thankfully, that has been repeated.

We’re talking a local league club, contenders for league title each season, but by no way would the players have gone and played at a higher level. I was around 11 years old at the time and my Mum was a player, very loyal (there’s a pattern here!) to club and Coach and was upset and VERY angry that, when we returned from holiday, a new Coach had been installed. No conversation, no meeting, no Thank you. All very underhand.

Mum (and me & sis) left for another club (who, it transpires, had been after Mum for years but did not ‘poach’ players!) and her former team mates lasted another season before going their separate ways. So that was all worth it 🙄

In more recent times, as a Coach, I have been a ‘victim’ (I use the word loosely)  of poaching. Players, many who had been with the club for a long time, upped and left for a rival club who frankly seemed to have promised the earth.

It’s worth arguing here that a player may not consider leaving if all was well with the original club. Believe me I have agonised over this in certain situations but isn’t it still worth a conversation?

I’ll be honest and say I have been bitter about it - we had gone through county league qualification and promoted to regional together and the future was bright. They were a group of talented, super smart players and I thought we were a tight unit.

And here is where ‘poaching’ rears it’s ugly head and is different from players moving on to better themselves.

‘Poaching’ is unkind - by not having a conversation with those who have invested in you, given you patience, time, effort and motivation, shows a lack of respect that can be very difficult to get over.

Coaches and team organisers, worth their salt, would wish players wanting to better themselves, well on their netball journeys, should they want to move on. But they would need to know to be able to do that! Coaches and team organisers are worth their weight in gold but I have not met any that are psychic.



I have a real detest for text messages, emails and what’s app for delivering important messages and bad news - not just in netball but in daily life!

The people involved in poaching, those who plant the seed, have, in my opinion, very low standards, not to mention morals.

How would you like bad netball news to be delivered?

1. Over a coffee / glass of wine ‘Thank you so much for all you have done for me and my netball. I have had a great time and learnt lots but I think it’s time to move on. I’d like to do so in a positive way’

2. Text message late at night ‘I’m moving teams to play with my friends’.

When it’s put like that, for me at least, it’s a no brainer.

I have not had the experience coaching children that I have had with adults so my understanding of ‘poaching’ in junior netball is largely second hand. You only have to scroll through social media, though, to know it happens.

My view is that it’s the adults in these situations who need to take a long hard look at themselves and the example they set to impressionable children or young adults. I have long been a believer that juniors don’t just learn netball skills and drills / team work in their junior netball experiences - they learn about attitudes, respect, behaviour, discipline and relationships. They learn these from their leaders, their organisers, their coaches and their parents / guardians.

Perhaps I have a rose coloured view of the netball world. I have, after all, been at the same club for 28 years now! Wowsers! I do acknowledge that that level of loyalty (there’s that word again!) and commitment is not common these days - not just in netball, or even sport, but in everyday life.

I wonder, particularly with all the signings news coming out of Vitality Superleague at the moment, if ‘poaching’ happens at the elite level too. Surely a more professional league means more professional behaviour?

In conclusion I don’t necessarily think it’s about netball,, moving teams or loyalty. I think it’s about common decency, consideration  and respect. Perhaps ’ballers  need more of it!