I feel I am a better all round person for becoming a Mum and I suspect many mums feel the same way. Perhaps it’s patience, tolerance or just a better understanding of what is really important!
I believe I am also a better coach. I’m also a better Mum for being a Coach! There are a lot of transferable skills!
Figures from my previous job also prove that I was far better at my Netball Development Community Coach role when I became a Mum.
Am I a better netball player though? It’s a difficult one for me, regular readers will know, I only recently returned to playing after 3 years of ACL injury & rehab. (Had a baby in that time too / I like life to be challenging!) Before that I was concentrating on my job & other coaching, so was never a regular partaker at training & only played ‘when desperate’!
The reason I am writing about mummy Netballers is I am somewhat conflicted with my playing at the moment & that’s mainly down to being a mummy & childcare problems!
As a Coach of a regional club side I expected commitment & if you fell short of expectations then you fell short of the team. Harsh maybe, but I was bought up around netball at a time where players didn’t book holidays during netball time , youngsters didn’t leave their squad half way through the season due to exam commitments & you came to training even when injured / pregnant/ ill.
Oh how times change.
My own rule came back to haunt me recently when I was dropped from the squad due to absence from training. The reason I was absent from training was that hubby was on a late shift & my two main trusted babysitters (Mum & Sister) were.......you guessed it, at netball.
I was not happy!
I have not worked my arse off in prehab and rehab, lost nearly 4 stone and completed rounds and rounds of excruciatingly mind numbing, repetitive knee and leg strengthening exercises to be benched. Well, I wasn’t even benched to be fair - wasn’t even required.
I have not worked my arse off in prehab and rehab, lost nearly 4 stone and completed rounds and rounds of excruciatingly mind numbing, repetitive knee and leg strengthening exercises to be benched. Well, I wasn’t even benched to be fair - wasn’t even required.
But, from my experience as a Coach, I could see that other players who were at training, might not be happy if I was named but hadn’t been at training. It’s a difficult one. As I say, conflicted!
However, isn’t it about time more consideration was given to mums who want to start / return to sport when they have a child / children? We have a severe obesity problem in this country, not to mention other health problems, self esteem, domestic violence problems, social isolation - I’m not saying women playing sport solves these problems but Sport England data suggests it does no harm! I know first hand how Back to Netball and Walking Netball can change lives.
In my experience, an apology and ‘ I can’t come tonight, ‘Paul’ is working late / playing football / is going out’ has become commonplace. I’m not sure ‘Paul’ apologises for not being at football because Trish is at netball practice! I hope you get my drift!
We do seem to be better with such ‘returner’ programmes in netball and I suggest our NGB’s commitment to insight data is a factor in this. It really is industry-leading.
Later evening sessions are always popular as mums can put their kids to bed and have an hour of ‘me time’ at the local sports centre or school. In my area there are also successful ‘Mums and Tots’ or ‘post natal’ Back to Netball sessions, so the barrier of childcare is taken away. We could be much better, across the country at this though, but at least we’ve made a start.
It seems things are progressing for Mothers at elite level too. Our Southern Hemisphere counterparts seem to eagerly support their mummy athletes and World Champion Silver Fern Casey Kopua is a prime example of this. One of my favourite media moments of the World Cup 2019 was Kopua being interviewed after the World Cup win, with toddler Maia in arms, licking sweat of her mum! Kopua later revealed she was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of winning gold.
In the UK we have Superleague players such as Liana Leota plying their trade as well as being a Mum. Sophie Candappa (Wasps) and Lauren Nichols (Loughborough Lightning) are both due to return to action next month after becoming mums during 2019. I really hope they document their mummy / netball journeys on their social media feeds - they are inspirational, trailblazers and a great example to young netball fans.
The latest This Girl Can campaign hi/lights the problems faced by mums who want to exercise. The problem needs solutions as well as awareness.
It’s the ‘intermediate’ netball mums that I think we need to do more for - the mums who are playing competitively when they find out they’re pregnant but need help to return! If nothing else it will stop a huge raft of women dropping out of netball altogether.
I’ve coached numerous mums and mums to be, been through it myself (twice) and have recently seen team mates come back after having a baby, as well as recently announce pregnancies.
There are many ways we can give them more support and help during this time: offer them other roles in the team other than ‘Player’ - it’s extra help, as well as keeping them involved in the team. Write a programme / encourage them to keep active - heaps more advice out there now than there was even five years ago. Keep in contact! Particularly when bubba is born, new mums can feel even more isolated, calls, messages and visits from netball friends will be welcome!
Ideas such as ‘mobile creches’ at matches, other mummy squad mates working a rota to look after children court-side, choosing venues with child-friendly facilities, setting up kids netball at same time as fixtures can all help mums, particularly struggling with childcare. We need to break down all these barriers by thinking ‘outside of the box’ to allow these women to return.
One thing is for sure, if I ever return to ‘semi serious’ league coaching I will be more sensitive to childcare & general ‘mummy’ problems. There are too many talented, committed & enthusiastic Netballers out there, to lose them from that level, when they become mums is a sad state of affairs. What’s more, with some thought & planning it is preventable.
In my experience, an apology and ‘ I can’t come tonight, ‘Paul’ is working late / playing football / is going out’ has become commonplace. I’m not sure ‘Paul’ apologises for not being at football because Trish is at netball practice! I hope you get my drift!
We do seem to be better with such ‘returner’ programmes in netball and I suggest our NGB’s commitment to insight data is a factor in this. It really is industry-leading.
Later evening sessions are always popular as mums can put their kids to bed and have an hour of ‘me time’ at the local sports centre or school. In my area there are also successful ‘Mums and Tots’ or ‘post natal’ Back to Netball sessions, so the barrier of childcare is taken away. We could be much better, across the country at this though, but at least we’ve made a start.
It seems things are progressing for Mothers at elite level too. Our Southern Hemisphere counterparts seem to eagerly support their mummy athletes and World Champion Silver Fern Casey Kopua is a prime example of this. One of my favourite media moments of the World Cup 2019 was Kopua being interviewed after the World Cup win, with toddler Maia in arms, licking sweat of her mum! Kopua later revealed she was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of winning gold.
In the UK we have Superleague players such as Liana Leota plying their trade as well as being a Mum. Sophie Candappa (Wasps) and Lauren Nichols (Loughborough Lightning) are both due to return to action next month after becoming mums during 2019. I really hope they document their mummy / netball journeys on their social media feeds - they are inspirational, trailblazers and a great example to young netball fans.
The latest This Girl Can campaign hi/lights the problems faced by mums who want to exercise. The problem needs solutions as well as awareness.
It’s the ‘intermediate’ netball mums that I think we need to do more for - the mums who are playing competitively when they find out they’re pregnant but need help to return! If nothing else it will stop a huge raft of women dropping out of netball altogether.
I’ve coached numerous mums and mums to be, been through it myself (twice) and have recently seen team mates come back after having a baby, as well as recently announce pregnancies.
There are many ways we can give them more support and help during this time: offer them other roles in the team other than ‘Player’ - it’s extra help, as well as keeping them involved in the team. Write a programme / encourage them to keep active - heaps more advice out there now than there was even five years ago. Keep in contact! Particularly when bubba is born, new mums can feel even more isolated, calls, messages and visits from netball friends will be welcome!
Ideas such as ‘mobile creches’ at matches, other mummy squad mates working a rota to look after children court-side, choosing venues with child-friendly facilities, setting up kids netball at same time as fixtures can all help mums, particularly struggling with childcare. We need to break down all these barriers by thinking ‘outside of the box’ to allow these women to return.
One thing is for sure, if I ever return to ‘semi serious’ league coaching I will be more sensitive to childcare & general ‘mummy’ problems. There are too many talented, committed & enthusiastic Netballers out there, to lose them from that level, when they become mums is a sad state of affairs. What’s more, with some thought & planning it is preventable.
I’m not sure what my netball playing future involves. It’s currently the second half of the season & I’ve already missed one game & missing another tomorrow. This is just down to my hubby being on shift & no other childcare available. My enthusiasm, loyalty & effort has not wavered, in fact it’s stronger than ever. My motivation for playing netball is all-consuming these days ( wish I had a bit of that attitude when I was younger I might have got a bit further!) which makes my predicament all that more frustrating!
The injustice of it really irks me. It really shouldn’t be this difficult.
I’m reluctant to drop down to social league - I injured myself playing regional & whilst I realistically wouldn’t have got back there I promised myself during the hours of lonely squats, lunges & cycling I would get back to playing the best level I could. I am left wondering if all those squats were worth it
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