#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! 

#45 Where have all the Volunteers gone?

Before I start, this may well be an unpopular blog or at least divide opinion. Think Marmite. Which, non related issue, I am actually allergic too! 

There is no one more supportive of netball volunteers. You only have to read previous blogs, follow me on social media or see me ‘in action’ at an event to know that to be true! I’ve been a volunteer, I am a volunteer. Real volunteers need to be cherished. Netball doesn’t happen without them. 

The recent Sport England Active Lives survey has reported that we have 3.1 million LESS volunteers in sport compared to pre Covid numbers. The report rightly celebrates the 6.6 million volunteers making activity happen. 

Still, 3.3million is an astonishing amount. 

https://www.sportengland.org/blogs/how-future-volunteering-can-build-change

For someone who spends ALOT of time organising grassroots netball events - charity festivals, tournaments, pay & play etc etc I have had a surprising amount of difficulty recruiting volunteers, post lockdown. 

Traditionally I have had been extremely grateful for a vast spectrum of volunteers - young, up & coming umpires completing their volunteering hours for schemes like Duke of Edinburgh to more mature ladies, only too happy to bake and sell cakes for charity events.

The last six months or so, since festivals and the like, have been allowed, it has got a lot more difficult attracting these awesome people. Youngsters are more worried about catching up on studies, people are going away more because they can and to be honest, it just seems people have re-evaluated their lives and volunteering is no longer a priority. 

Even the volunteers who do come forward (this is where it’s going to get marmite!) don’t always seem necessarily happy to be there! 

I have experienced volunteers who are a hindrance rather than a help. Not necessarily any one person’s fault but I’ve been on the end of some very ‘flakey’ behaviour over the last few months and I’m so frustrated by it, I’ve decided (maybe unwisely!) to include it in a blog. 

I’m particularly incensed by fake volunteering. 

Definition: to offer to help but with no intention to actually follow through. An intention to volunteer, unless something better comes along! 

Sadly there are more than a few examples. I try to always go above and beyond to make sure that my volunteers are valued and appreciated - but perhaps I do need to revisit how I do this. 

The most unfathomable behaviour is ‘volunteers’ just not doing what they’ve offered to do! No one has made these volunteers ‘volunteer’! I just don’t get it! I would honestly prefer them not to volunteer at all, then put their hand up and then drop out or just not do what they’re supposed to. It causes more work for, guess who? VOLUNTEERS! 9/10 event organisers work voluntarily too! 

Unfortunately, I believe Covid-19 protocols provided ‘tick box’ exercises for people wanting to watch a netball game but because spectators weren’t allowed, ended up ‘being’ Primary Carers or Covid-19 Officers. Oh the irony! 

These positions are of the upmost importance. However unlikely, in the worst circumstances, these volunteers can be life / death decision makers - players deserve more than tick box spectators. 

But, listen, forgive my ‘Moaning Myrtle’ tirade. For every late volunteer or one that doesn’t turn up at all - I have at least 5 very special lovelies who do the most remarkable things to make netball happen! 

They are part of the 6.6million regularly washing bibs, taking up a whistle, booking venues, updating first aid qualifications and everything else that needs to be done in sport! They’re the ones Sport England are and should be celebrating! 

Why not join them? It’s a really special feeling giving something back to a sport that gives so much! 

But please, do it properly! 😉

#44 I 💜 Walking Netball

I was lucky enough to have a very small part to play in the initial national project, researching, writing and introducing Walking Netball in England. 

Ever since that first meeting I attended in London, I was hooked! 

It was always going to be a great way to transition those ‘full fat’ Netballers entering their twilight years, or those who sadly sustained a long term injury, into a more gentle version of our great game!

Perhaps, more importantly, opening up netball to a whole new audience. To those who have never played or maybe hadn’t donned a bib since school, which in some cases maybe more than fifty years! 

I consider myself very lucky to be a qualified Walking Netball Host. As with any other sports coaching role though it does come with responsibility! 

One of the most challenging aspects of delivering Walking Netball is when the two audiences collide - the ‘competitive’ more experienced Netballer transitioning out of the ‘normal’ game and the social walking netballer, whose motivations may be anything but netball - meeting new people, recently widowed, recovering from serious illness, wanting to be fitter….the list is endless! 

I don’t think it was something that was considered in those early days. 

It is a subject that has come up on the National Walking Netball Hosts Facebook page - a positive platform to share ideas, best practice & support fellow hosts. 

I think the question posed is along the lines of ‘What do I do with a new, overly competitive participant, who intimidates our regulars!’ 

Advice has been varied from, a somewhat harsh, ‘send them to Back to Netball’ to a more diplomatic ‘set out expectations before the session starts’. 

I’m lucky enough to have encountered and still host a variety of Walking Netball groups. I often cover sessions, set up and hosted regular sessions in my former job and currently host Walkie Talkies, our Monday night Walking Netball group which has been going for 3.5 years. 

My experience is you CAN manage these combinations of audiences successfully, but like all sports coaching, you need to get to know your participants and their motivations! 

They can even compliment each other! 

A case in point is two of my long term Walkie Talkies recently achieving their Walking Netball Host qualification. Their experiences in netball could not be more different. 

Julie is a traditional ‘baller who I’ve known for longer than either of us care to remember! She has been a player, Coach, Umpire and has held various committee roles. She’s been a loyal and committed netball volunteer for donkeys years! 

Carol is the opposite end of the spectrum - recently retired and loving life. She clearly loves supporting a variety of sports but hadn’t picked up a netball in decades! She takes every opportunity thrown at her with open arms and was the first to volunteer when the chance of the Walking Netball Host course arose! 

They absolutely compliment each other - Julie’s confidence and experience with Carol’s enthusiasm & understanding of non Netballers is a match made in Walking Netball Host heaven! I have absolutely no qualms about having a night off occasionally now! (And as a Surrey Storm season ticket holder with Monday night netball on the horizon, I will!) 

There are heaps of other successes I’ve been privy too but I think the key and common denominator is the Host! 

If you’re aware of the different participants in your group, with their different motivations, it is definitely a start!  Setting out expectations at the beginning of each session is also helpful, as is giving those more experienced participants more responsibility and more of a challenge when appropriate. 

My measure? If everyone leaves smiling & a bit flush, it’s been a good session and that is always my target! 

By far my favourite thing about Walking Netball is the opportunity to bring together women from all walks of life (pardon the pun!) that positively makes a difference to all our lives! 

#43 Tale of two Primary Schools

I made a promise to myself during our various lockdowns - that I’d step outside of my coaching comfort zone as soon as the opportunity occurred! 

I found myself agreeing to coach in two primary schools in September (absolutely out of my comfort zone!) and honestly my experiences could not be further ends of the spectrum from each other. 

Perhaps, with hindsight, the writing was on the wall from the start. School A approached me, firstly informally with enthusiasm & positivity and then followed up with an invitation to visit and a more formal chat about expectations.

In contrast, I approached School B and was met with the kind of response reserved for Theresa May at a Police Federation Conference. (Google it!) 

My decision to pursue junior opportunities was not just born out of self development. 

I am very passionate about giving  children opportunities to fall in love with sport - any sport, any child. Particularly after the last 20 months or so. The research and evidence is overwhelming - healthy children, who engage in physical activity regularly, become healthy, engaging, adults. 

I started Coaching the after school club at School B on the Wednesday. 24 hours later delivered for the first time at School A. With such a quick turnaround and a whole term of that timetable, it’s natural to compare the experiences.

Geographically the schools are a couple of miles from each other, inner city. School A is a Junior School, School B a recently amalgamated Primary School. There are many similarities in the general day to day running of the schools but in terms of my experience the differences are stark. 

Perhaps the easiest demonstration of this extraordinary difference is best explained in bolts! 

We had a problem with a bolt on one of the netball posts at School B pretty much from day 1. It had rusted solid & I couldn’t unscrew it to make the post taller - meaning our two posts were different sizes. 3 emails later, a direct conversation with the caretaker as well as another with the netball teacher and it still wasn’t fixed. 

It didn’t need much - I suspect some WD40. Five weeks later I sent another email mentioning those dreaded three words ‘Health & Safety’. Would you believe it, the next session I delivered, the posts was the same size! 

In stark contrast at School A, the posts that I had managed to acquire & donate to the school was missing a bolt after a couple of weeks. It had worked itself loose and a curious child had probably pocketed it as ‘treasure’, who knows!?! 

I mentioned the missing bolt after one session, no emails needed, it was fixed for the very next week. 

The list of contrasts is endless though.

School A required a donation to use the facilities (2 brand new netball posts and a donation of sports books to their library was the least I could do for such a fab welcome & experience!) Whilst School B quoted £15 a session. 

This is more than any non-floodlit netball court in my area - for a playground that isn’t even level! (to be fair I haven’t visited many playgrounds that are!) £15 is more than double the court I regularly use in the same area. 

School A let me borrow their netball equipment no problem. 

School B also let me borrow the kit but reserved the two full sets of 7 aside bibs for the ‘other’ school-run club! We were left with the old ‘High5’ and no letter bibs! 

I only realised they had ‘proper’ bibs when I ran into the School B older year netball team at a school tournament I was umpiring at!   

Obviously I took my own sets of bibs in to give these juniors the best possible experience. 

Which leads me to a disappointing conclusion. 

The whole point of taking myself out of my comfort zone was to give children the best possible first experience of netball. The intention to start them on a path of an active & healthy lifestyle with all the benefits that brings, as they grow up.

Unfortunately, despite best intentions, I feel I have failed with School B. I have taken the decision not to continue with the session in 2022. I did everything I could to improve the communication and circumstances I delivered in, but I have learnt over the years you do sometimes have to admit defeat! It’s a bitter pill to swallow. 

Spending days dreading coaching a session is not conducive to a positive experience for anyone. I feel like I have given the children the best possible experience in the circumstances, but definitely not up to my normal standards. I have done everything in my power to give them alternative opportunities and will follow up as appropriate. 

I am clear in conscious that everything I could do with School B was done! 

Happily, School A has invited me back to deliver in the Spring term and I have received sincere thanks from the school and parents / carers. 

It’s a session I look forward to each week, the staff at the school are super enthusiastic & supportive which definitely transfers to the children. 

I just really hope my experience with School B is the exception, rather than the norm. 

I realise schools and teachers have had a really difficult time of it and absolutely deserve some slack. Surely, there is a responsibility to pupils wellbeing and future health though and if School A has taught me anything, it’s that encouragement and support for activity can be done in the most challenging times, to the highest of standards.