#23 May we never take netball for granted again

I’ve been in netball a long time...........officially 30 years, but regular readers / followers of my social media channels will know I was bought up around the courts, so 40 years in October!

I’ve learnt (often the hard way!) that in netball, like in life really, that there are people who ‘do’ and there are people who ‘don’t’.

As society has changed over the years so have, in my opinion, people’s attitudes and we find fewer ‘doers’ wearing many different hats!

An example would be a Head Coach taking on other jobs that others won’t do, such as arranging fixtures, organising match teas, finding officials, buying post protectors.....the list goes on.

There are many other netball examples.

We all know at least one of these people and they do it because they have a love for the game and a passion to see it succeed. Their attitude (as I am often reminded!) is, if they didn’t do it then no one else will.

My argument is, how will we ever know,  if those absolute stalwarts and volunteer legends, don’t release their grip?

I have been that person and I am afraid I am not gracious or generous enough to have continued in an extremely unappreciated role. I am now, of course, very appreciative of those who do, though!

When I gave up so much of my netball volunteering, did the roles and responsibilities I have, get done? Of course they did and continue to do so.

It’s  not without a lot of pain though, I do realise that!

An example of this came this season actually. I do not ‘do’ anywhere near as much as I used to - purposely. However I still seem to be coaching ad hoc, being called on at last minute to coach at matches (although for the first time ever I said ‘no’ this season!), coach mentoring (absolutely my choice as I love it!) as well as ‘persuaded’ to take control of the club’s social media. Not bad for someone who said she was just going to play this season!

I shall be doing even less next season. One of the reasons for this is the continuous lack of appreciation I feel. I put the emphasis on me as I realise it’s more my problem more than anyone else’s.

 I realise there are people who do far more. There are also people who do far less.

To be asked one week ‘please can you do match teas, it’s your turn?’ was like a huge kick in the gut.

The person who asked is bound to be reading this  and is herself a ‘above & beyond volunteer’. So, I will say I bear no malice at all and realise it’s no one persons fault. I just feel that there are many individuals in the team who’s only contribution during the season is one match tea - perhaps they could volunteer to do two, taking the strain of those team mates who already volunteer?

It’s been fairly easy during this lockdown period to be reflective, we have that time, after all. I possibly find it easier than others - I have used reflection a lot in my coaching.

I try not to be bitter. Netball has given me so much and one of my weaknesses is that I can take things very personally.

I think the biggest ‘take away’ for me, from lockdown, is taking things for granted! I would give anything to pick up a ball, call some mates and get to a netball court for a run around. I know, from social media, that many ‘ballers feel the same.

Do we take that very simple event of a netball match, for granted? You bet we do.

I’m hopeful that when we are back to our ‘new normal’ attitudes will again change. We will not forget this time and it will not be in vain.

I intend to volunteer to do two match teas next season as I won’t be doing anything else. Perhaps others may do the same.

I’d like to see a netball community who are more thoughtful and considerate. Players who ‘rock up and play’ (and I am not saying there is anything wrong with that!) more appreciative of the volunteers who contribute so much, to allow them to play.

I’d like a realisation to be held that the more people who contribute to organising netball activity, the less work actually needs to be done.

I think the more people who contribute, even in the smallest ways, after lockdown, the more our great game will grow and we will all see the benefits!

I think that’s something to look forward to. I think hope is positive.

Who’s with me?

#22 Memories

As the lockdown rolls on, the global netball community continues to pull it out of the bag where entertainment, knowledge sharing & keeping in match shape, is concerned! There is so much awesome content out there I am struggling to keep up!

One of the focus’ of late has been a bit of nostalgia, with club Twitter feeds sharing old photos, Facebook pages ablaze with old newspaper cuttings and ‘ballers sharing netball memories left, right & centre! The most heart warming thing about this, for me, is the former players reconnecting.

Anyone for another big spike in participation after this is all over!?!😉

I love a bit of reminiscing. So, I’ve come up with my ten favourite netball memories.

I imagine some will be quite common and others are pretty specific to me! I’ve had to leave a fair few out, including coaching in Australia and Holland, separate experiences at the International Netball Festival Disney, various good memories from different netball jobs I’ve been fortunate enough to have, meeting netball superstars and even the World Cup in  Liverpool! The top 10 must be good! What are your top ten?


💜10.  Being brought up around the netball courts. My mum was a lone parent so where she went, my sister and I generally went too - especially when we were little. This meant practicing 100 passes without dropping the ball, court side at Portsmouth’s home of netball, Bransbury Park. Exploring forests in Odiham and Chichester, whilst she played in the local leagues and making life long friends with other netball kids watching their mums, aunties and sisters playing our great sport!

💜 9. Role models. See above. The amount of feisty, spunky, independent, strong, caring, opinionated, intelligent, ambitious, talented, fit, hardworking, committed, loyal, real women we regularly spent time with was, I realise now, hugely important in my upbringing.

💜 8. Pontins. Those who know, know. I don’t need to say anymore.

💜 7. Alex Barlass Inter counties. I have memories of two of these competitions for completely different reasons! I was treated to new trainers before my first Alex Barlass Championships - I choose some very ‘different’ bright orange Nike’s. No one would blink an eye at them these days but they caused quite a stir back then! Anyway, I got attention for all the wrong reasons when I hurt my knee during the tournament and struggled to get up that hill at Bassett Sports Centre, Southampton on crutches! The second year was memorable for all the right reasons, exceeding all expectations (our own as well as others!) by finishing 5th at the tournament. Never to be repeated! Unprecedented.

💜 6. National Clubs Tournament. I cheered on my Mum and her Meon team mates  at two of these ‘pinnacle’ events, one at Crystal Palace, one at Wembley. I remember painting banners, throwing purple & white tic a tape & my Mum signing autographs! I also remember ALOT of alcohol being consumed by players on the way home!

💜 5. East Hants at Inter counties Bournemouth. For reasons I won’t go into, I found myself in a very  ‘scratch’ County representative side for the end of season inter counties tournament. Without meaning  to be offensive I don’t think the side we put out would have done very well in the ‘2nd team’ competition. We were in the 1st team event though and absolutely hammered. I remember Essex Met were in our group, with the absolutely marvellous Fiona Murtagh, recently retired from England Netball I think, playing - I couldn’t wait to play against them, especially as I was being stuck in at WA & Murtagh played WD! Anyway dreams aren’t always fulfilled - she was ‘rested’ for the match against East Hants and I was pulled off at half time!!! 😂

💜 4. My wedding surprise! Those who know me well, may well describe me as a ‘control freak’, so,  it will come as no surprise my wedding  day was planned within an inch of its life! When I stepped out of The Square Tower in Old Portsmouth, with my new husband, the last thing I expected was to find my netball team outside, in full kit, waiting to give me my ‘Guard of Honour’! It was the only time I cried during the day! I still don’t know how they pulled it off, 10 years later!

💜 3. Writing for The News. For nearly 8 years I had the privilege of writing the  netball page for the local newspaper. It wasn’t the most glamorous of roles and I remember having to battle pretty hard on occasion, to be heard, in the very male dominated profession of sports journalism! However, the good always outweighed the not so good and my favourite memories were writing the more ‘real life’ stories about overcoming challenges, off court success and controversial issues (always a rebel!). I also loved getting to know the person behind the on court player. So many people helped and contributed to that page it’s such a shame it finished recently, but I believe it was a real trailblazer for women’s sport in local news.

💜 2. Meon presentations. Our netball club goes back a long, long time - the 60’s I believe and the club was very fortunate in the 80s & 90s to have legendary duo ‘Karen & Kimmi’ in charge - particularly of the end of season presentations. Nothing was left to chance, everything had been thought of, down to carefully written menus to home made flower displays. I truly believe professional party planners couldn’t have done a better job. So much thought, hard work and personal touches were offered and hugely successful. Those parties were the highlight of my late teens / early twenties! Legendary. How I miss them!

💜 1. Regional League. Since I began Coaching Meon (a club I had been a part of since I was 11 years old) In the  early 2000s I had wanted to get them into the regional league. It was a personal goal but also one that I knew could be realised when we started building a potentially talented young (ish!) team. It finally happened in 2012 after a few near misses that clearly made us stronger. For me it was a personal triumph after a very difficult few months off court and away from home. I actually came back to find the team in a really strong position, but losing our starting GS who had decided a holiday was priority over the play offs! 😬 Cue me, frantically trying to get match fit and putting shots up at every opportunity in the couple of weeks before the big game!

Anyway, the rest they say is history. But the biggest memory for me from that day is achieving that dream with my friends.

 The legacy is Meon still have a team in the regional league. Proud.

#21 Changes to the game?

#Neeks amongst us will know that the recent Bushfire Fundraising event in Australia, which saw the Australian Diamonds take on the ‘best of the rest’ saw the 2 point shot introduced for the first time in a ‘main’, if not competitive, netball match.

There was mixed feelings from those involved as well as supporters. For me, the jury is still out, but I realise I am a traditionalist at heart!

I mean, I’d settle for watching any ‘live’ netball at the moment! Who knows when we’ll get to see any netball or get back on courts ourselves? This ‘lock down’ time has given me the opportunity to reflect on what the future game might look like though!

There has been one lot of substantial rule changes in my lifetime that I can think of, that I remember anyway! It happened a few years ago now: the main change being you don’t have to wait for ‘play’ and there was no whistle when the ball went out of court. The idea was to quicken up the game and I think that has been a success.

I couldn’t imagine watching Superleague Games on TV nowadays and waiting for Gary Burgess or Chris Obin to say ‘play’ before Mikki Austin or Yas Parsons could take a throw in!

With the growth and success of the game, nationally, as well as internationally, there is more frequent talk about rule changes. There is also plenty of debate, on social media in particular, about what may work and what doesn’t or wouldn’t. This has lead to some trial ‘implementations’ like we saw at the Bushfire Relief event.

Suncorp Super Netball, had things been different, were introducing rolling substitutions for the new season. This would have ‘done away’ with the extremely irritating ‘fake injury’ scenarios we’ve been putting up with, so coaches can make tactical changes. It would have been really interesting to see it in practice and how these rolling substitutions would have effected games and also the actual practicalities of how they happen.

It is definitely one of the rules I would change about our great game. I get very frustrated when opposition ‘calls time’ for an injury to make a change when there is just no injury. That’s not to say we haven’t used the rule to our advantage of course, it just seems so bloody dishonest and indeed, not ‘in keeping’ with our great game!

I am, by nature, rather cautious when talk is of ‘making changes’ to netball. I am a traditionalist but I do realise that can be a good and bad thing! More than that though I just don’t like change for change sake. If a rule is genuinely effecting the game and needs to be changed then so be it, but change just for the sake of it? No thanks.

We are all experiencing a lot of change during this Corona Virus pandemic - it’s something we’ve all had to get used to and completely out of our control. Obviously these changes are at a different end of the spectrum to any netball changes that may or may not be being considered. The changes we are implementing for our own safety are completely different, but we still take ownership of them, they are for our own well being.

I think if major rule changes are to be considered they must take all views and opinions into play (pardon the pun!) and that’s everyone involved: players, coaches, umpires and yes, even, fans!

There are areas of the game where I would welcome rule changes to netball. For example professional Players are stronger and fitter than ever before. (Because they are professional!)

I see that that is impacting on our game, it is far more physical. (A debate for another day maybe!)  If there were rule changes that can limit injuries, for example, I think that would be a positive change. That may well be my 3 years of ACL rehab talking though!!!

Change is one of the considerations netball has to be very careful of when attracting and negotiating with sponsors and commercial partners. Money talks after all.

Would netball consider a drastic change to the game, for example: no centre passes, back lines to be taken after each goal. If, Nike said they’d double their investment? (I’ve no idea why Nike would want to do away with Centre passes, but hopefully you get my drift!)

To a certain extent this already happening ‘down under’. Nissan Net Points anyone!?!

I was a huge football fan when I was a kid - followed it almost religiously. But it’s my opinion that the vast, bewildering and often immoral amounts of money involved in buying players, paying wages and even the price of replica kit, has completely ruined the sport.

I can’t see netball following suit but I would hate us to even contemplate following a similar path. We could be so much more.

As well as debating changes to the ‘traditional’ game. We’ve also seen the evolution of ‘Fast Fives’ and other forms of netball, like the Red Bull switch up.

I am much more comfortable with these different variations and events. There’s room for changes, sponsorship and income generation.

Everyone knows where they stand with these different forms - Fast Fives is a great example: the rules are easy to follow (even if the format is not, in the UK competition!), the game is entertainment based and the audiences expectations are met. It ticks all boxes. It’s also a separate product to our ‘traditional’ game and is treated as such, where,  I think the success lies!

To conclude, netball isn’t broken, so there is nothing to fix!

It’s a great product in its own right. Leave it alone and let the game do the talking.

Peddle the other forms of the game to the sponsors who want changes and profitable sponsorship deals.

#20 Lockdown

It’s a funny old time isn’t it!?! I’m having good and bad days and I am sure everyone is the same. We all have different circumstances which throw up different challenges but every day, whether good or bad, I do try to count my blessings and be grateful for what we have, rather than what we haven’t.

For example, we will never, ever, have this time again. Whilst self isolating with a 7 year old and not quite 2 year old has its moments (!) actually the time we spend together can be quality time and I am trying my hardest to appreciate it!

Anyway enough of that ‘mushy’ over sentimental craziness - this blog is netball-inspired so we best get back to it!

Isn’t the netball family wonderful! I mean, I knew it before, but seriously the amount of effort, support, kindness and best wishes extended to team mates, netball communities and the global netball family has been immense. I’ve never been so proud to be a netballer!

The amount of shared netball love on social media is insane! From Superleague franchises streaming regular fitness sessions to clips of juniors sharing their chalk-created assault courses. There are some awesome ideas and inspiration from the wider netball community. The vast amount of netball knowledge being shared is also unprecedented! It can only be a good thing!

Neeks or would-be neeks, with more time on their hands, should definitely check out ‘Gaudy’s Gasbags’ on YouTube for some revealing insight into past Australian Diamonds. The chat with coaching legend Norma Plummer is first class entertainment.

Team Bath’s Kim Cummane also pops up on the ‘Having a Chat’ podcast. Definitely worth a listen if you fancy an insight into the differences between Suncorp Super Netball and the Vitality Super League. Cummane also discusses the challenges she  has dealt with in her career and her honest views on Australia’s import policy. It was a compelling listen!

Regular readers know I am a big fan of Netball Nation and the gang are continuing their weekly podcast despite no netball actually happening! I always look forward to Thursday or Friday download but none more so than at the moment - Sara Bayman’s frankness is always a highlight.

I have a background and been fairly successful with Back to Netball programmes and sustaining that participation. I have thought ALOT about those back to netballers and social netballers, when all the exercise content was being shared online recently. Those videos and live sessions have the very best intentions at heart and on the whole have been fabulous.

With my ‘Back to Netball’ hat on though I have been concerned that our new to netball participants would be put off by the intensity of some of these sessions or worse, injure themselves trying to do the up & down plank or HIIT workouts. There has been a lot of research,  a lot of experiences
 and a lot of work put into B2N participants’ motivations - it’s something I pride myself on knowing and sharing and what makes the programme so successful, in my opinion!

So concerned was I, I’ve just completed a 5 day fun, fitness challenge on my Netball in the Community Facebook page - which has gone down a treat! It’s been targeted at those returning players and social participants who maybe play once a week and just want to keep active and make sure they are safe, when we all eventually return to the courts! It has meant I have had to come completely out of my comfort zone to see and record myself on screen though. It’s just not something I enjoy doing or seeing, self consciousness and anxiety goes into overdrive! BUT, was it worth it? Definitely and we all know getting out of that comfort zone is a good thing!

The seriousness of the Corona Virus pandemic cannot be underestimated and the Government advice of ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ cannot be over emphasised.

There is far more important things going on right now than netball but, with more time on my hands, I have found the response to the lock down by ‘professional’ teams really interesting.

In the UK, so far, 3 Superleague franchises have effectively ‘shut down’ and furloughed players and support staff. This doesn’t bode well but is a familiar story across the sporting landscape not just in netball. I’m worried for those support staff but I guess it is the same for many, many people not just in the UK, but across the world, right now. My heart genuinely goes out to them.

The fact that Premier league football clubs have done the same thing for their staff makes my blood boil! What some of those premier league stars, not to mention Boardroom staff, earn in a week would be enough to keep a netball franchise going for several seasons. Don’t even get me started in comparing their earnings to NHS nurses etc etc.

What’s going to happen to the Vitality Superleague is anyone’s guess! I think there are a range of options but it really depends on how long this all lasts for and what can be negotiated in terms of the international calendar - will the Superleague, as well as SSN & the ANZ league in New Zealand even have the time to play?

There will be those who say thank goodness this has all happened so early on in the 4 year cycle and I, myself have breathed a sigh of relief on social media, that the World Cup was last year and not this. The first year of a new cycle is really important for young, emerging talent though so it will be interesting to see if this does have an impact long term. It will be the same for all nations mind you.

If you think the ‘professional’ leagues have problems spare a thought for all those volunteers who run the regional and county leagues across the UK. If they ‘call’ the league as they stand there are going to be very happy teams and clubs, but equally some very unhappy ones too. Those decisions are going to influence promotions and relegations. But with 95% of all matches played, I fail to see that their is an alternative. It’s the ‘fairest’ option - but I understand not everyone will see it as ‘fair’ to them!

My own team will miss out on winners’ medals in the County league if the situation does stay the same. We’re one game short of the league leaders and if we win we’ll go top. The game still to be played, we won convincingly in the first half of the season. In the grand scheme of things the top two are promoted, so it doesn’t really matter. For me though gold is always prettier than silver! My competitiveness must take a back seat for once.

Whatever the outcomes, whether your team benefit or are put at a disadvantage or aren’t effected at all - please do bear in mind that league organisers are mostly volunteers. They have big decisions to make and will be damned either way - if you can’t say anything kind, don’t say anything at all!

#19 Communication: it’s key!

My youngest started nursery recently and I could not be happier with the staff’s willingness and desire to help her settle in. They are highly professional, approachable and everything you would want from people entrusted to look after your child.

The communication though has been terrible.

The nursery uses an app to keep parents informed on little ones daily routine with pictures etc. I couldn’t get on the app for almost two weeks - I was told that there was one person in the office that could help but she only works until 4pm (I pick up a little later).

 I left lots of messages with various convenient times listed to call. I never did get a call although I can now get on the app which I guess that is the main thing! For the first two weeks I had no clue what my child had been up to. The silence was deafening.

My eldest attends swimming lessons and has been going for around two years. Again, I am completely on board with the swimming teachers - they’re patient, enthusiastic and highly qualified. I’ve even been known to take some of their motivations and language into my netball coaching sessions!

The communication from the swimming school is absolutely awful though. If there is a cancellation we are not always told - how the actual company ‘stays afloat’ (!) is beyond me (and the other parents who sit pool side and chat about the incompetence!)

The NGB in their ‘Big Netball Conversation’ has always been open that communication is something it’s membership would like to see improve and I do see measures and opportunities addressing it. The fact that the ‘Big Netball Conversation’ takes place at all, is surely a huge plus?

Communication is key when it comes to engaging with and retaining membership. Messages need to be targeted, clear and appropriate. Outcomes need to be realistic, sustainable and long term.

For me, it’s the clubs that need help with communication with its participants and potential players. In this new age of social media and modern technology there really isn’t any excuse for poor communication but I see players leaving the sport, parents disengaging and potential participants put off by miscommunication or worse, no communication by clubs.

For example, if a potential netballer takes time to contact a club through its website it’s important contact details are up to date! A non response might not just put the participant off the club - it might well send them to another sport!

Equally if  a parent of a potential young ‘baller leaves a message or voicemail - they’ll want a timely response. Now, we all lead busy lives and ‘balls can be dropped’ when juggling lots of them (!) but if that parent doesn’t hear back, the likelihood is that young potential starlet has been lost.

Regular readers will know I am a strong advocate of volunteers and I am very passionate about our treatment of netball volunteers.

There will be a high chance that that website is managed by and that voicemail has been left for, a volunteer.

Isn’t it about time we offered those time-poor, passion-rich,  fabulous people something back? How about up-skilling? Or an awards programme where they can all be nominated (not just affiliated members).

It’s not just about new players either, how are clubs retaining players? Is the communication with their loyal participants appropriate or are they turning them off? Does every club have a social media policy and do all members abide by it?

I’ve recently been leading on a local club’s CAPs application - it’s a blog for another day and may take a while. I try to give a balanced view in all my blogs but I know I will find that one particularly difficult 😬 ! One thing I have noticed throughout CAPs though is there are lots of documents needed - many essential to communication with club members, but not often advice or guidance on how to complete these documents.

Equally, leagues, again often run by volunteers, could do with help with communication. I know of ‘traditional’ leagues that are being decimated or even ceasing to exist in some cases due to incoming ‘corporates’ setting up nearby. To those of us ‘in the know’ these corporate leagues offer a lot less for more money in most instances. But what they are good at, I presume(!) is communication. They have professional, paid staff, whose job is to attract & retain players so communication is key for them. They have the resource, the technology and importantly, the time, to successfully communicate with ‘ballers and potential ‘ballers! There is a lesson to be learnt there!

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I wrote the above blog before the Corona Virus hit (I normally have numerous blogs ‘on the go’ and don’t post them until I’m completely happy - I self edit, re read etc!) Having been in self isolation for the third week in a row I am not short of things to do - having two children helps with that! However I am finding more time for those netball admin jobs I have been putting off. Maybe it’s the same for you and your team mates? Maybe a ‘zoom’ conversation about communication in your club or a review of your website might be just the trick!

#18 We’re not football! And we don’t have to be!

I have written before about my distain for booing at netball matches. Surrey Storm netball supporters felt my wrath at the home game against Thunder last year. For me, it’s completely unnecessary. We are not football and we can carve our own, alternative, supporting path!

If it’s one criticism I had of the World Cup 2019 it was the booing in the arena - particularly of umpires.

I was watching a netball game in recent months involving potentially talented Netballers, not one over the age of 21 and most between 16-18 years old. It was a high level spectacle featuring many players on the performance pathway.

Given the age of such performers I was, therefore, very disappointed at the lack of sportsmanship shown from the supporters at the game, about 50 or so, mainly, but not exclusively made up of families, who thought it was appropriate to cheer a warning and then a caution. Again, completely unnecessary, unkind and impactful on a young player who needed to be taken away from the situation, clearly upset.

Warning and cautions are now part of netball, we see them every week at local courts as well as Superleague matches on TV. I don’t condone the actions of those who receive them - they’ve broken the rules - but surely we can just be more kind.

I’ve been a football fan in the past particularly when I was young. I’d think twice about taking my own children to football games, if they showed an interest, partly because of the supporters (and some footballers!) behaviour. ‘The referee’s a w*ne’er’ is not on the list for music lessons or school assemblies - as far as I know! 😉

Superleague pundits are right when they say netball needs to attract new audiences to the sport. I suggest families would be a great option - they are also revenue drivers. (Lets be honest that is where we are heading!)

Wouldn't it be nice to invest in and encourage a family friendly product? Young fans can be inspired and excited by our amazing Superleague athletes, teenagers can watch the latest warm ups and take ideas back to their own sessions & adults can be entertained with some edge of the seat score lines.

We don’t need criticism of umpires, cheering of sendings off and booing of substitutions to muddy that atmosphere. Those negatives can be toxic to our great game. Surely we are more than that? Surely we can be better!?!

#17 Coaching - a bigger responsibility than assumed?

I’ve been coaching netball, officially, since I was 16, assisting my Mum with the county U14 side.

If the truth be known I wasn’t a very good coach in my youth - but I guess many coaches, in many sports, might say that. You generally get better with experience!

One of my main motivations to get into coaching was that I was never really coached that well as a junior. There weren’t any junior clubs around in those days for starters. I am so envious of all the juniors these days - they get so many different options for netball and fabulous opportunities!

For me, getting into coaching was an escape but also motivation to do it ‘right!’

I had some lovely people as coaches, passionate, hardworking and dedicated. Their commitment to netball could never be questioned. They never really got the best out of me though. ‘Coaching the person, not the sport’ is a relatively new term, but I wished it was prevalent when I was younger.  I might well have been a better player!

There are definitely days when I regret getting into coaching so young.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, but I don’t think many people appreciate what a huge responsibility being a sports coach is.

We could get into specifics (it would be a much longer blog!) but, generally, you are responsible for a person’s relationship with their chosen sport. A sport they love or will grow to love. A coach has a huge contribution to make to that journey. There are going to be far more pitfalls than positives along the way and a Coach has to manage that roller coaster.

As a Coach you also have a potential responsibility to change lives. That’s an incredibly privileged position to be in. I’m incredibly proud that I have been a small part of some life changing decisions made by Netballers under my care.

I have the honour, these days, of introducing youngsters to our great game. It’s a privilege to try and give these players a great first experience and one I take very seriously.

We have a huge problem in this country with obesity and other health problems putting a strain on our NHS. We also have problems with females dropping out of sport during puberty, which can have a knock on effect to mental, as well as physical, health problems. That also can have an impact on confidence and empowerment issues. If I can make just a small difference by giving opportunities to girls to fall in love with our game and not leave, ever, than I view that as a huge success.

That’s the aim anyway!

The responsibility is not just about the player though.

Coaches, worth their salt at least, have a responsibility to not just protect themselves (insurance is a minefield and never having a clear answer as to Walking Netball Host cover,  I’m probably over insured now!) but also to keep themselves up to date with CPD, new rules, issues ‘outside the norm’ etc.

Only recently I completed an online course entitled ‘Prevent’ looking at the risks of radicalisation and the support available to those vulnerable to those risks. Maybe you think that’s going ‘above and beyond’ as a Netball coach. But, in this day of age, is it really? 45 minutes and my knowledge in this area has improved ten fold - that can have an impact.

Another online training course I am looking forward to completing is one on ‘Mental Health’.

I remember asking my former employers around 4/5 years ago if we can have some training on spotting signs of mental health issues or a ‘mental health first aid’ course. I wasn’t exactly laughed at, but the response was not positive. My argument was if I’m doing a physical first aid training course, why not a mental first aid one? I’m delighted Sport England have developed a resource in this area- now I just have to find the time to complete it!

To be brutally honest there are days, many of them in fact, where I wish I didn’t take my responsibility as a coach so seriously! I come across coaches, all the time, who rock up without any preparation, deliver and leave without thinking about coaching until their next session. There are many reasons for this - not always negative and at the end of the day they are facilitating netball and should be appreciated for that. Some days I am envious of their ability to completely ‘switch off’.

There have been times in my coaching career that it has been all consuming. The analysis went too far, I was receiving calls late at night and i didn’t really have a life outside of netball. That is not healthy.

I do try to encourage up and coming coaches to learn from my mistakes, to strike a balance and be a better coach than me! Sometimes you have to learn from your own mistakes though and that is a responsibility in itself.

These days I have taken a step back from coaching. Although I probably deliver  as much now as I have always done, my relationship with coaching has changed for the better.

I am grateful that currently (but temporarily) I have found a job coaching that I can put my all into. I am much more disciplined about time spent coaching and time spent away from coaching though.

Finding a balance isn’t easy and for me it’s definitely a work in progress. It is much healthier though!
I am much choosier about the coaching opportunities I take on, preferably taking on the short term or one off roles. I love coaching but not sure if I am ready to take on that all consuming commitment

Former Adelaide Thunderbirds Dan Ryan has been vocal about how coaching can be all consuming and the effect it can have on mental health - particularly if success is elusive. This comes from someone at the very top of their game, coaching in a professional capacity. Some might say if there’s no hope ‘up there’ what chance is there for grass roots coaches?

I have been following The UK Players Netball Association twitter page since it’s inception and also follow the success of the similar organisation in Australia. Our great sport is growing and evolving and it is only right professional player’s needs and welfare are put as a priority. Isn’t it about time we provided the same opportunity to our coaches?