#21 A new era............

With the World Cup Final more than two weeks ago now, a new dawn was ushered in with the naming of Jess Thirlby as the new Roses Coach (Great appointment in my opinion & to be honest i breathed a huge sigh of relief!) and now she has named her first Roses ‘squad’ for the new season.

25 players have been named in the new (or is it new?) P1 & P2 system with players like Rachel Dunn, unable to commit to a full time programme, still eligible under the P3 option! Yes, I know, where are all these new terms coming from and is there a glossary / code / explanation given?!

Now, the England Netball Media team (note they normally have expensive outside help too) would have been working overtime of late ( yesterday we also had the news the CEO Jo Adams is leaving in the Autumn. I’m going to park that one!) but it’s just beyond ridiculous they casually include Kate Shimmin’s name without a thought to the readership!

I watch Suncorp Super Netball regularly so I’m familiar with Kate Shimmin’s offerings for Adelaide Thunderbirds but even I had to go and do some research to make sure there wasn’t a young Rose with the same name who’s slipped under the radar!

It was down to the very savvy Denise Evans from the BBC to give more of an explanation and she even had to chase EN for more details! I really would like to buy you a large glass of wine and shake you rigorously by the hand, Denise, if you ever read this. I’m a big admirer of your work!

For me, I would have liked a bit more information too on Jade Clarke’s exclusion and also information on previous Roses such as Sasha and Kadeen Corbin. Perhaps it’s the short term effect of the World Cup that we just WANT MORE, or is it the openness & accessibility of such players on podcasts and social media that we now expect more information? Either way, I do feel a bit short changed!

Surprisingly, for me at least, is the lack of retirement announcements after the World Cup. Not just from the Roses but from other national sides too. Perhaps with such big coaching changes coming (Norma Plummer’s replacement still not been announced) or perceived changes (Jamaica’s review still to take place) players’ are hedging their bets for the short term.

I am DELIGHTED that Geva Mentor has been named as one of the 25. It has been at the back of my mind for a while now that England do not have an obvious replacement for her. Comparatively you can see Cobden and Panagarry forming an orderly queue behind Clarke and even George Fisher will be waiting patiently in the wings ( for a while I hope - no offence!) for the retirement of Harten.

There are a few defenders up and coming but not ‘one’ to really follow in the very big footsteps of Geva Mentor. Sam Cook was in inspiring form at the back end of last Vitality Superleague season but I seem to remember her commenting ‘Roses isn’t for everyone’ in a post match interview when asked about any potential national  future Perhaps that’s where Shimmin comes in!?!

Apart from the ‘spine’ of the side staying a huge highlight for me is the inclusion of Yas Parsons in the 25. Yas is a local player, came up through the ranks of local clubs before joining elite side Weston Park Blades and Surrey Storm. She is an inspiration to many local youngsters, still gives her time to local netball and as anyone follows her on Instagram knows, has been working her absolute arse off for this opportunity! May we wish you the sincerest best of luck Yas! Great to have another local ‘baller gaining recognition they deserve!

#20 Reflections

The World Cup is a distant memory. It was AMAZING! I’ve had lots of random thoughts before, during and after - not all of them make a heap of sense, some are problems I don’t have solutions to and some are just observations and talking points. If I don’t write them down though I may go crazy so here goes......

🏐 Surely with many of the top teams professional or semi professional they deserve more than amateur umpires. I don’t think any umpire did a bad job and it’s the players’ job to adapt if they are being pulled for infringements. However, a professional umpire will have more time to dedicate to the game and surely be ‘better’ than an amateur one.

🏐 I’ve only just caught up on the Sport Relief game - what a hoot! It had everything, a new successful shooting technique from Jennifer Saunders (you have to see it to believe it!) , awesome deadpan comedy from Coach Tamsin Greenway & sensational play from Oti Mabuse (Sign her up!) My favourite moment was a last quarter appearance from the most capped player of all time Irene Van Dyke and based on that I still think a ‘Legends’ game would have proven popular! What was Pamela Cookey & Sharni Layton  doing in the commentary box !?!  - i’d have  paid top dollar to see them two battle it out!

🏐 Fossils! This is the term given by World Cup winning Coach Noelene Tuarua for her ‘spine’ of  Silver Ferns players,  all of whom are over 30 years old. If you look at some of the other teams though you will see it may well have been the netball ‘year of  the fossils’! England’s defensive duo of Geva Mentor and Eboni Usoro-Brown, along with Rachel Dunn, are all in their mid thirties. Not forgetting Trinidad & Tobago’s Ronda John Hart who made Netball history with her 6th appearance at a netball World Cup. Whilst it is anticipated one of the 2019 legacies will be to inspire a new generation of Netballers, I reckon a large number of older generations may well be following the ‘fossils’ back onto  court!

🏐 Beware Australia! Read the above point again. Now consider that only two of the Diamonds squad are over 30. Captain Caitlyn Basset 31 & fellow shooter Caitlyn Thwaites 32. Australia started rebuilding after their one goal defeat to England at the Commonwealth Games. They have a year on the top teams in the new cycle and emerging  players like 24 year old  Sarah Klau already have a major tournament under their belt. They will be hurting and this all makes them VERY dangerous when the next major tournament comes up! (Only 3 years to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games!)

🏐 There are some in  Australia calling for an import CAP on players in the Suncorp Super Netball League. They believe imported players coming into the worlds best league is damaging the Aussie pathway and leading to the Diamonds ‘downfall’! I say look at the coaches before looking at the players! Noelene Taurua is Head Coach of the Sunshine Coach Lightning making match decisions week in and week out in the Australian domestic league. She also coached the whole of the Aussie attack who  lined  up against her NZ side in the final, during the 2018/2019 season! Tania Obst is the Adelaide Thunderbirds Head Coach but has been assisting Tracey Neville at the last two major tournaments where the Roses won gold and bronze respectively.

🏐 Would an available Stacey Francis have resulted in a different colour medal for 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌹? It’s not something we’ll ever have the answer to but I think Layla’s injury hurt our challenge and Tracey Neville has eluded to that in post tournament interviews. Will we ever see Francis in a red dress again?

🏐 Something else to ponder, would England have been better off with a Serena Guthrie playing against Laura Langman’s in the lead up to the World Cup, rather than Mikki Austin’s? (No disrespect intended at all - hopefully you get my point?)

🏐 What will become Jamaica? Many ‘experts’ tipped Jamaica to be the dark horses and cause an upset at this World Cup! (I also predicted the same however I am far from expert lol!) Commentators all agree that they have the players they just need someone or something to bring them altogether. Jamaica Netball always seem to keep its cards close to its chest but if the newspaper reports are to be believed aspect another change of coach for the Sunshine Girls, sooner rather than later!

#19 Top Ten moments

1. ‘We want Dunn!’ It wasn’t just that the whole arena was in chorus - it was her utter disbelief & humble reaction, that got me. We won’t see her like on an international netball court again
2. Being stopped & asked if I’m ‘Debbie, who writes the Netball blog’?! World Cup made. 
3. #NDCClove meeting up with some of my former colleagues was awesome. Made me appreciate the amazing time we had and the awesome results we achieved, just a little bit more! Shame I didn’t see more of them.
4. Claire Balding’s closing speech was as awesome as it was inspirational. What a women: what a netball advocate! 
5. Jo Harten’s quick turn & long bomb with 0.5 seconds left of quarter 1 v South Africa. Sublime. I think every Roses fan in the arena knew it was going to be our day when that shot went in! 
6. Zimbabwe: the noise, the colour, the surprise package on a netball court. They were the team of the tournament and we were also staying in the same hotel! 4 teams from Africa  in the top 8 of the world: that’s global netball development! 
7. Pivoteers: the unsung heroes of the World Cup! They were everything they should have been and more. Thank you will never be enough! 
8. Pop up Prosecco bar at the arena. My type of event! Even better when they’re serving half pints of the stuff as they’d ran out of ‘proper’ glasses 😉My only disappointment was there was only 1! 
9. Netball family! Whether you were in the arena, piazza, fan park or around the city - you witnessed, on countless occasions old friends meeting up, reminiscing and sharing the World Cup excitement. Shout out to the #Neeks right here! 😘
10. England winning bronze. It wasn’t what we came for but as I have said on countless occasions there were 5 teams in with a shot of winning. We could have ended 5th. After the semi final I think bronze was a relief still to be celebrated. 

#18 How do I summarise that!?!

Wowsers.

To put into words the World Cup experience from a fans’ point of view is a daunting task and one I’m not sure my writing skills are up to!

The anticipation was palpable and on reflection the event had a lot to live up to: but live up to it, it most certainly did - and then some!

The Netball was everything it promised to be. From the surprise package and noise of Zimbabwe (they were in my hotel you know!)  to the hugely entertaining and exciting final and everything in between! We had ‘ohs’ ‘Ahhhss’ and ‘We want Dunn!’

OK, so it wasn’t the final England fans wanted or the majority of netball fans. There is now a question mark over whether the Netball world order really has changed and  I still can’t really bring myself to talk about the England v NZ Semi Final such is my heartbreak!

I said before the World Cup started though that one of five nations could win the coveted trophy - but equally one of five nations could also come 5th. England fans plight could be worse: we could be Jamaica!

The Pivoteers were just amazing - friendly, polite, helpful. Yes, everything they should be - but those 450 people gave up their time for free, paid for their own accommodation, food and drink. All for the love of the game. Everyone one of them outstanding and deserve a lot more appreciation than they probably got.

The atmosphere in the arena, the piazza, fan park and generally around the city was incredible. Everyone was talking about the netball - the locals, visitors, shop staff, pub staff, in hotels, in the town. Liverpool really does know how to welcome a global community!

At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 Netballers could pretty much walk around the city unbothered - it was probably just me asking for selfies back then to the amusement of some! I witnessed England players wearing hats and pulling the hoodies up over their heads this time round - not that they weren’t polite and friendly when approached though!

My own fan girling (read blog #11) went through the roof! It started with Netball legend Irene Van Dyke and finished with the very lovely Katherine Merry and Pamela Cookey. I took a bit of a ‘coaches’ route through the fan girling - spotting Rob Wright and Sara Bayman. (Who may well have been the player laughing at me in Glasgow!)

There were a few thousand teary eyed women listening to Claire Balding’s closing speech. Yes Claire it really did matter and it will continue to matter. Rousing was not the word, her words, delivery and passion were perfect.

The one thing that could have made it ever so slightly better was if  Claire had conducted the post final interview with Maria Falou. (!) A very strange choice out of all the NZ players they could have asked, I feel. It very nearly went all a bit pear shaped too.

I feel that the netball family completely undone ourselves this time! There were flags, there was face paint, wigs & costumes, there were Mexican waves and a noise like you’ve never heard. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, countless times. Incredible feels.

So now there is a very Netball World Cup shaped hole to fill and I’m not sure it’s going to be done! We’ll try with some podcast catching up and getting up ridiculously early this weekend for Suncorp Super Netball! I’ve still got some photo sorting and uploading to do and probably some more blog writing!

It’s going  to take a while to get over, certainly, but the memories and legacy will continue.

#17 Finals day

England v South Africa

I’m sure regular readers appreciate my honesty: I had my head in my hands today after 2 mins contemplating whether to leave! I, of course didn’t, it was a momentary lapse and I always had faith!

Saying that,  I still don’t think we were completely on song. It was the game northern hemisphere netball fans never really wanted but we were where we were and had to get on with it!

 I was absolutely dreading another ‘Glasgow 2014’ where you may remember we lost out to Australia and New Zealand by just 1 goal each, we were completely dejected and couldn’t get past Jamaica in the bronze medal match. I drank two bottles of wine without a glass,  immediately after and still have the remnants of the hangover!

Thankfully we were a very different Roses today and thanks to the quite incredible Jade Clarke we eased past a very good South Africa team to take the bronze medals. (In some lights bronze looks gold you know! 😉)

It wasn’t what the crowd or the Roses came for but we roared them right through to the finishing whistle & the noise was deafening!

It quite emotional towards the final whistle, with chants of ‘we want Dunn’ preceding a clearly humble Rachel Dunn donning the GS bib for potentially her last match in in a red dress. I suspect she’s not the only one although no announcements have been made at the time of writing!

Australia v New Zealand

The final was an altogether different affair, goal for goal through most of it but it was the experience of the Kiwis that shone through.

It didn’t look that way at the start mind you when Maria Falou uncharacteristically fumbled the ball three times. Nerves perhaps, there was certainly no devine  intervention  no matter what she said in her post match interview!

New Zealand were led impeccably by Centre Laura Langman. A stalwart Kiwi who was banned for playing for her country because of the league she chose to play her netball in. That was until nearly a year ago when Noeline Taurua came in to coach NZ after their disastrous Commonwealth Games & has completely turned things around.

Taurua has done the impossible. There is no other way of describing it. All coaches, no matter what sport, will be ‘hats off’ tonight. What an incredible achievement.

You must also take your hat off to Casey Kopua, out of retirement & back in squad after a nasty knee injury & becoming a Mum with 9mins on the clock in a World Cup Final, she takes an interception a player half her age would be proud of. Pure class.

So, as we’ve seen so many times before the game went to the wire but this time it was NZ who take home the coveted World Cup trophy. Frankly, they have a HUGE thank you to Noelene Taurua for that. I am certain it wouldn’t have happened with out her.

#16 Semi Finals

Australia v South Africa

When SA found Potgeiter home alone under the post with 5mins left I really thought that would be the turning point & SA would realise their dreams! How wrong I was, but what an incredible achievement & display by South Africa.

The crowd was absolutely amazing in the arena for the morning session. I’ve never seen or heard anything like it at a netball match - a phenomenal sight & sound!

As predicted I can’t really take more than 10 steps without bumping into someone I know! That’s what’s so incredible about this Liverpool World Cup, the netball family! Even people you don’t know you get chatting to!

For me, personally, it’s been absolutely AWESOME to see so many back to Netballers in Liverpool! People who I coached at sessions back in the day, completely fell in love with playing & supporting it seems! Someone had joked I have my own #neek army: they may not be wrong!

England v New Zealand

And so we move to the afternoon where hopes were high, the buzz was all about Harten & Housby and New Zealand spoilt the party.

What more can be said than you can’t start like that against New Zealand and expect to win.

The surge when Nat Haythornthwaite came on & Harten and Housby swapped was immense & if I thought the crowd went wild in the morning it was nothing compared to just before half time! It sent shivers down my spine! Half time came too early for the Roses I think.

For me the most disappointing thing was England didn’t play well. I would have taken a loss better (ish!) had both teams been at their best - it would mean the best team won in the truest sense of the world. From  Harten missing her first shot to Pitman just being in the way England just weren’t at the races. There were nothing between the teams in the stats, so imagine what we could have beaten them by! All ‘what ifs’ now though.

That’s not to take anything away from NZ though - they did a job on us and their zonal marking absolutely rankled the Roses. Hats off to Noeline Tuarua & Coaches, they did their homework good!

So it’s the 3/4 place match tomorrow - not one we wanted but I suspect it will be a few Roses last games in the red dress, so we must put our disappointment aside and cheer them on for the bronze medals.

It may well be a high point as the next few years will be a tough roller coaster ride for Roses fans - although, in my experience, when is it not!

I tell you one thing. I refuse to lose to SA tomorrow!

#15 H2 Sublime!

We’re at the business end of the World Cup & South Africa were, unfortunately for them,  next to witness the masterclass that is Housby & Harten! There are not enough superlatives to describe this relationship: I struggle to remember a more dynamic duo on a netball court and I certainly believe, on the basis of this competition, there isn’t one to compare in world Netball right now.

There is no doubt that South Africa were nervous and their penalty hit rate did not help their cause. I suspect Norma Plummer won’t have a lot to do to motivate her squad for the semi finals though. It’s the first time since 1995 they’ve made it to the last 4 and there were certainly glimpses of fabulousness. They will want to right today’s wrongs.

Personally I would start with Sigi Burger at GS. She really didn’t do anything much wrong when she came on (Air shot would have been nerves!) and gave Geva Mentor something more to think about. Whether she plays in the semi final or not I predict she is going to be a netball superstar in years to come.

Back to the Roses though and again there were a few rough patches but we ground them out and saw it through the other side - you have to do that to be Champions. We got our bench on again - exposing the less experienced players incase something drastic happens in the next two game (Yes I am that confident) and got to rest those that needed it.

Captain Fantastic Serena Guthrie was even wrapped in cotton wool towards the end. Guthrie seems to have had a target on her back throughout this tournament, it is she bothered? Too busy enjoying herself by the looks of it!

And that may well be the key. You will be hard pressed to find  a more relaxed, confident  team at the World Cup - especially one that is competing for the top placings. Harten’s last second edge of circle goal in Q1, her no look pass to Housby under the post & Jade Clarke’s pin point bullet to Dunn from the centre third doesn’t come from a team with the world of expectations on their shoulders.

I’m back off up to Liverpool tomorrow & looking forward to seeing H2 and their team mates storming it against New Zealand. .

#14 Jamaica

I was nervous before the Jamaica game today, I won’t lie. England Roses have looked slick but have been largely untested, in this World Cup.

Regular readers will know I have also tipped Jamaica to cause a big upset and I was dreading that prediction coming back to bite me on the bum! Thankfully, like many of my netball predictions, I was wrong!

When you’re nervous you do tend to over analyse and I wondered negatively how much Layla Guscoth’s injury would impact the squad, if another injury would slash our chances and what would happen if we did (say it quietly) lose. All that is largely out of my control, some even out of the Roses control, so I gave  myself a good talking to, put the kettle on and settled down for a cracking game!

I was slightly disappointed we let them back into the game after going 10-5 up in the first quarter - but this is elite sport remember and we know, probably more than any other team, that Jamaica should not be underestimated. For years they have been a bit of a bogey team for England.

There are plenty who will disagree with me ( most of my Coaching Network for a start!) but I thought   Housby & Harten showed their class today. Taking the knocks, keeping going, remaining patient & controlled - what u need from winning shooters! I did wander at one point whether Dunn would be introduced to be more of a ‘target’ but I think Housby & Harten grinding through the rough times and playing with beaming smiles when it went oh so slick, will only benefit the Roses in the latter stages. 

Our attack, overall, played clever. Remaining positive, drawing the contact & frustrating Jamaica. I think we’re very lucky in the Roses squad at the moment, our attack know any of our defensive line can turnover ball if needed - what a team! 

Individually I thought Geva Mentor had to be at her best today and so it proved. Fowler may well have 100% shooting stats (I mean absolute kudos for her at this level!) but she needs the ball to do damage and I felt Geva had the better of her today and confused the feeders enough to have an incredible impact. 

Captain fantastic Serena Guthrie also impressed. She did everything you would want as a Captain and then some! For me, for what it’s worth, she was Player of the Match and we will need her to recreate that performance when we come up against South Africa, Australia and  New Zealand. Well, if we win gold we’ve got to beat them all! 

A word about Jamaica. They will obviously hurt, they’ve got very little chance of a top four placing now and with their line up they would expect to be in the semi finals. 

And there I think, you have the problem: no one can expect anything at this World Cup. The hard work, the research and the infrastructure need to be there to support the players - not to mention the attitude from the players, to the coaching team right through to all the support staff. 

Slightly over exaggerating, but it seems every time I go on Twitter there is another ‘drama’ in the Jamaica Camp - whether it’s a new coach, Nelson ‘injured’ despite playing every week in the Suncorp Super Netball League or Romelda Aitken’s lowly shooting stats also in the Suncorp league. Are the Jamaican’s just too laid back in their approach in this post QUAD series netball era!? Is that their undoing? 

We turn our attention to South Africa later this week who should prove more of a test than Trinidad & Tobago. I see changes in the T&T match, with no disrespect to them whatsoever,  I think we’ll see Fran Williams at some point to rest Eboni, who probably didn’t expect quite as much Court time had Layla not been injured. Despite Harten & Housby’s immense game today I think we will see Dunn & potentially Haythornthwaite too. 

South Africa are riding high after their win against Jamaica and seem to be most fans ‘second team’. I’d like them to do well too - but not at the expense of the Roses! 

#13 Opening Ceremony

I’m writing this on the way back from Liverpool where I’ve spent a mad, but awesome, 24 hours and to be honest may be a little bleary eyed!

I always knew that the netball community would be on fine form at the Netball World Cup 2019. We’ve had a long time to look forward to it and obviously the Commonwealth Gold added to the anticipation! 

The atmosphere in the stadium, in the fan zone and around the city was phenomenal - you can spot a Netballer a mile off and everyone was laughing, smiling and chatting away like they’d known each other for years! We made friends with some Aussies from Queensland in the toilet queue, couldn’t walk more than 10 paces in the stadium without bumping into someone we knew and even Irene Van Dyke stopped for a chat! (Absolutely made my day.....week......year!) 

I’m not going to lie I was too busy catching up with old colleagues (#NDCClove) to see the full Opening Ceremony! When we did get there, after finding the Prosecco bar of course, the show looked great and only added to the anticipation of it all!

Jamaica v Fiji was first up and wasn’t quite as one sided as the score line suggests. (85-29) There were a lot of mistakes from Jamaica and, in my opinion, looked very beatable! (Perhaps that’s just wishful thinking!) I realise though that they also wouldn’t have come out of first gear! 

I will admit to having a quick wander to the other end of the stadium to Court 2 when Sigi Burger came on for South Africa v Trinidad & Tobago. Sigi is a bit of a favourite and it was great to see her represent after being bought into the SA squad late on. 

The real highlight though was England v Uganda - the roar from the crowd when the Roses came on Court was spine tingling! Literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. 

Specially mention to the 20 or so Ugandan fans sat behind the goal. They did not stop singing from starting to finishing whistle! 

I am looking forward to rewatching the match - especially the sending off of the Uganda Centre. It was an interesting one in the stadium as we obviously can’t hear the umpires - although their body
language said it all! 

When the offending player eventually went to the bench for the second time, she was high fived by the whole of the coaching bench. Rather than this being a malicious action I think this showed Uganda’s naivety at this level. It was a shame really that the sending off happened.  Not that I’m condoning any poor behaviour on court, of course. 

I was pleased for Jo Harten that not only did she receive her 100th Cap, the response from the crowd was amazing. I imagine she will never forget that. I do think that as an organisation we need to be better at recognising such achievements. She is a truly remarkable ambassador for netball with a global reach. 

So, that was my first experience of Liverpool World Cup 2019. Other observations include

- shout out to the Prosecco girls at the stadium. They worked bloody hard and it wouldn’t surprise me if we go back next week and there were a few more Prosecco bars popped up! Know your audience M&S Arena!
- Zimbabwe are staying in our hotel and we really need to find out when they have breakfast so we go at a different time. They seem to have a small army with them!
- Pivoteers are immense, all of them were in great spirits & definitely added to the sense of occasion. They deserve more than an afterthought page 96 in the official programme though!
- M&S arena is an awesome place to watch netball! From what I could see there is not a ‘bad’ seat in the house. We also have lots more healthy options food wise than other netball venues. Copper Box is a particular eye roller!

Anyway, back to reality, fighting my toddler for the remote so I can watch England v Scotland rather than Mr Tumble! Can’t wait until Friday when I’m back in Liverpool for finals weekend! 

#12 ‘Twas the night before Christmas

There is not an adjective in the world that can describe my insane excitement right now!

The only thing I can possibly compare it to is when I was a little girl waiting for Father Christmas to come with my new bike / dolls house or Care Bear! It’s a mixture of anticipation, extreme excitement and fear.

Yes, you read that right, fear.

After all what if I hadn’t been a good girl all year round and didn’t receive that bike with the basket? I think we all know what I am saying without me typing it!

There’s the short term issue of drinking two bottles of wine and having a terrible hangover circa 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. There is also the long term problem of the potential loss of funding - although with Nike on board and our Roses in Vogue this month, I am hoping that is no longer an issue.

As previously reported, and not just by me (!) this is the most hotly anticipated World Cup of all time! There are literally 5 teams who could win it - gone are the days of the Southern Hemisphere stranglehold on global netball! We have a new world netball order!

I’m lucky enough to be flying up tomorrow (Friday morning) for the opening ceremony and England v Uganda. Then I travel back up next weekend for sessions 17,18,19,20 - the big ones!

I’ve listened with interest how the Aussies are now saying England are favourites and the pressure is on them! Australia are still ranked Number 1 in the world though and interestingly England are ranked 3rd in the latest IFNA rankings!

My expectations are England are going to win. Maybe that’s more hope than expectation.

Perhaps I, along with other Roses fans suffering with over - excitement (!) need to remember, it was the long term aim to get to the 2019 final. They didn’t hide it, that’s always been the goal since Neville took over. Last year was a bonus. A glorious, incredible bonus. Let’s get to that 2019 World Cup Final and see what happens! Until then, I will do my best to put a lid on it and contain my excitement!

If you’re enjoying my World Cup blogs and want to keep up to date with my World Cup exploits i’ll be tweeting throughout @netballcoachnow

#11 I’m a bit old for fan girling, but.......

It’s a World Cup, a home World Cup and the most highly anticipated and exciting netball World Cup, well, of all time actually and I’m not exaggerating!

Netball is most definitely on the rise, we have so more much media interest and sponsors like Nike on board. I never thought i’d see it to tell you the truth.

I remember the bottles of Evian that my Mum used to bring home from Intercounties and the, now embarrassing, but very accepted in the 90s, Sun newspaper sponsorship of a County team ( I think!?!)  who appeared in the paper in their netball knickers complete with Sun logo! Thank goodness we’ve evolved! 😉

I’m ecstatic for my two daughters aged 6 & 1, as they will grow up in a time where we have strong female role models, not just in netball, or even sport but in society in general.

I couldn’t be more proud that my eldest will soon (hopefully) be discussing the merits of Helen Housby at Goal Attack, like she’s been going on about Lioness Lucy Bronze recently!

I went to support her in a sports-themed sponsored walk a couple of weeks ago and was amazed (pleasantly so) that there were nearly as many ‘Roses’ costumes as there were Harry Kane’s!

It’s absolutely stonking that at a time where we have a national epidemic of obesity, Sport England tell us drop out rates of female teenagers from sport is at a high, female empowerment is all the buzz and talking about mental health is less of a taboo, our young girls and boys will be seeing and hearing from netball players, coaches, umpires, broadcasters and volunteers. I look forward to them being inspired to reach for the stars and start breaking down those glass ceilings!

I’ve always been a big advocate of netball being life changing. It’s not an underestimate to predict this World Cup will have an impact that will be far reaching and actually, unmeasurable.

The Roses, Diamonds,  Silver Ferns, Spar Proteus and Sunshine Girls don’t just inspire the youth though!

I’ve seen first hand the impact programmes such as Back to Netball and Walking Netball has had: my Walking Netballers  started as part of the national pilot 3 years ago and now regularly travel to Superleague events, persuade the local pub landlord to switch the TV to netball on Monday nights and are waiting, with anticipation, for their World Cup merchandise.

Social media obviously plays its part and it definitely makes my day when a Netball ‘great’ retweets or takes time to message me! Cat Tuiviti retweeting and offering support during a pretty tough time during ACL rehab pushed me to do an extra set of reps and get up the next day to do it all over again! (No one knows ACL rehab like those who have done it themselves!)

At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games I was thrilled to attend the England Supporter Club reception where I had a few too many wines and am embarrassed to say called Maggie Jackson, Collette, even though i’ve met them both on several occasions! Mortified was not the word when I woke the next morning!

I did get quite a few selfies with players, past & present, and my all time favourite netball Coach Anna Stembridge. I wasn’t even slightly embarrassed, I’m sure the wine helped, but also there were no children at the reception so it wasn’t quite as frowned upon! (Or I didn’t perceive it to be quite so frowned upon!)

I guess when you have been supporting and involved in Netball for as long as I have (I’m 38 now and can’t remember a time Netball was not in my life!) the Roses players are rock stars!

So, having spent a lot of money on tickets, transport & hotels for Liverpool I am determined to enjoy
myself!

That means a special mission to get my ‘Leap’  booked signed by Geva Mentor, as many selfies with Roses players as possible and even a few with players from other nations!

Now, I know Sharni Layton is part of the broadcast team I will be staking her out too!

I make no apologies for fan girling netball superstars at the age of 38. If I could have done it when I
was 10 I would have done!

#10 Lazy Netball journalism

I have a new pet hate: lazy netball journalism.

It actually started 5 years ago now (wow was it really that long!)  with that Telegraph piece comparing Netballers to dainty flamingoes by that columnist who clearly hadn’t done any in depth research and didn’t have a clue what she was talking about! (The article is here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/10851468/Obesity-crisis-How-playing-netball-is-making-your-daughter-fat.html )

I guess it’s become more common because Netball has been given a higher media profile. Which is definitely not something to moan about!

The most recent case is the Sky Sports press release announcing Ama Agbeze & Sharni Layton to the Sky Netball presenting team for the World Cup - apparently swapping the ‘defensive quarter’ for the commentary box! I corrected them through Twitter obviously 🙄 and ‘quarter’ was hastily changed to ‘third’! Oh, how I wished i’d taken a screen shot! To add insult to injury I didn’t even get a thank you! 😉

Now, I will admit to more than a vested interest: I trained as a journalist and indeed did a ten year stint writing the weekly netball page for local newspaper The News. (Original title, I agree!) I may have even made a ‘proper’ career out of it had coaching not come a calling!

(Little shout out to Portsmouth -based The News here. The weekly netball page has been going for more than 10 years now, great foresight from the Sports Editor and team and testament to the strength of the netball community in the area!)

I have discussed in previous blogs that Netball has evolved, sometimes, it seems, at the speed of light: but our partnerships, infrastructure and dare I say the National media have not really kept up pace

I have made the point on numerous occasions that just because you are a great coach or player, doesn’t make you a great pundit or commentator. If I had, as threatened, played a drinking game, every time a certain coach said ‘erm’ or ‘how do I say!?’ live on TV, I would have been in local A&E having my stomach pumped!

I do tend to put televised netball matches on mute sometimes and long for the nostalgic days of Anita Navin’s dulcet tones. Now there is a netball expert who knows what she is talking about!

Something that really annoys me (and I know other netball fans too as it is often commented on in social media!) is commentators using ‘points’ instead of ‘goals’. For example ‘what a great point from Jo Harten, from the edge of the circle’ or ‘Vixens lead the Firebirds by 6 points at the half way mark’. Usually used by those less experienced in the Netball world - but still, a quick conversation with those with more netball knowledge before broadcast, would see this completely eradicated!

There are, obviously I hope, exceptions to these rules.

Caroline Barker comes across as an absolute consummate professional who seems to go above & beyond with research and preparation. In my eyes (and ears) Barker’s commentary, along with Sara Bayman, on the Commonwealth Games 2018 Final, was as near to perfect as you could possibly get. (As I get misty eyed again!)

I have followed Denise Evans on Twitter for as long as I can remember and let out a silent ‘yes’ & fist pump when she announced she was walking through the BBC doors for the first time as an employee in the role of Netball journalist! I believe, Denise, took on Manchester Thunder’s media role for years and it seemed ‘just desserts’ that she should rise to the giddy heights of the BBC, a leading example  for youngsters who can can dream of career in netball journalism!

I listened with interest and surprise recently to the Netball show’s chat with Hazel Irvine - who will be the BBC’s anchor for the Netball World Cup coverage. Hazel told of her history with the sport and the fact she actually covered the 1995 World Cup in Birmingham! She clearly knows her Netball and I look forward to watching and listening to her in less than a couple of weeks time!

There is a simmering debate in Australia, at the moment, about the role of male commentators in the game. For me, it’s not about gender it’s about who can call the game fairly & squarely, in an entertaining and informative way.

It’s one reason I am personally gutted Suncorp Super Netball’s Sue Gaudion hasn’t been snapped up for the World Cup. She is first class and broadcasters have missed a trick not sending her to
Liverpool.

So, what I say now to all commentators, journalists and netball pundits I say from the heart in the best interests of netball!

PLEASE Do your research, be prepared and know your stuff.

Sky / BBC give your experts some training so the audience isn’t baffled / annoyed at too many ‘erms’, bad pronunciation of netball superstars’ names and long boring pauses!

Netball is a fantastic, technically amazing and exciting sport. There are some real characters in and around the courts and this is going to be the most exciting World Cup EVER.

 It deserves the very best commentary and journalism you can offer!

#9 Ones to watch

With the countdown to the World Cup well & truly on, I thought it was about time we cast an eye over  the players to watch!

Here’s my attempt at predicting the hot shots who will become World Cup heroes in 2019 & beyond!

 🇯🇲 Shamera Stirling: Regular viewers of the Vitality Superleague will know about Stirling’s athleticism and elevation from her time at Loughborough Lightning. Who knew she’d step it up at least two gears in her debut season in Suncorp Super Netball with Adelaide Thunderbirds!? She has the potential to be THE stand out defender of the tournament and leave her mark on global netball. If she can have a quiet one against the Roses though I am sure we will all be grateful!

🇳🇿 Maria Falou: the experienced GA is pivotal to the Silver Ferns as they look to regroup under the guidance of Noelene Taurua. Maria has been a classy player for years but the added pressure of the New Zealand fans expectations and her husband’s controversial off court antics in the lead up to the World Cup, will shine the spotlight on her more than ever. Don’t bet against her rising to the occasion!

🇿🇦 Renske Stoltz: I had the absolute pleasure of watching her at Fast Fives in 2017. She isn’t likely to make Norma Plummer’s starting line up so you may be asking why I’ve got her down as one to watch! She has the potential to be a game changer - if she comes off the bench and has an effect like I think she can, anything can happen, for her and the SA squad.

🇦🇺 Grettel Tippett: I LOVE watching Tippet play for the Queensland Thunderbirds in Suncorp Supernetball - it’s her unorthodox approach and basketball-style lay ups that excite the crowd! Defenders just have no idea what she is going to do next! I suspect it would be tough to keep that approach when the Diamonds play a certain style, but she’s stayed true to her roots and reaped the rewards with a spot in the Diamonds 12. It will be between her & Steph Wood for the GA bib in the starting line up but i’d start with Tippett: I love a maverick!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Fran Williams: she only made her international debut last year but the 21 year old defender has already put her hand up for a place in the starting line up with a stand out season for Vitality Superleague finalists Wasps. Opponents won’t know enough about her to adapt their style and she has absolutely nothing to lose when she takes the court - makes for an exciting World Cup for Williams and it will be interesting to see if she’s still based in the UK for the 2019/2020 season!

 🇹🇹 Sam Wallace: whilst the Calypso Girls from Trinidad & Tobago are not expected to compete for the top spots, netball fans should keep a close eye on shooter Sam Wallace, currently having a stand out season for Suncorp Super Netball league leaders NSW Swifts. Her accuracy (96% against Giants!) is phenomenal but it’s her ‘no nonsense’ approach that excites me and will be a fabulous example to watching youngsters.

🇦🇺 Jamie Lee Price: a lot has been made of the selection of Price in the final Diamonds 12, particularly in her home nation, as she is expected to play WD for the defending champs whilst she has featured mainly at C for Giants in the Suncorp Super Netball League. As much as I would have loved to have seen Ash Brazill in Liverpool (seen by many as too hastily overlooked for that Yellow WD bib) Lisa Alexander will know what she is doing & hopefully we will see what she does, when Price  takes to the M&S arena court!

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Emma Barrie: at just 17 years old Barrie is an exciting prospect for Scotland Netball.  She has been given the opportunity to compete at the 2019 World Cup and potentially gain her first Cap, after getting the nod  Superleague side Sirens, following Cat Tuiviti’s pregnancy announcement. I am really looking forward to her debut and following her career - it has the potential to be really exciting!

🇿🇦 Karla Pretorious: Wowsers, the Goal Defence has made 7/8 Suncorp Super Netball Net Points ‘Team of the Week’ line ups at the time of writing! She is in phenomenal form heading into the World Cup and will reap the rewards of playing with compatriot Phumza Maweni at Sunshine Coast Lightning. Playing with world class performers like New Zealand’s Laura Langman, week in week out, wouldn’t be doing her any harm at all!

I’m looking forward to revisiting this blog and assess the success (of the players and my predictions!) after the World Cup is all over!

#8 Let’s hear it for the Pivoteers!

As we creep closer and closer to that much anticipated opening ceremony it’s easy to forget the sheer enormity of putting on an event of this size.

I believe the actual bid to host the World Cup was submitted 6 years ago and a hell of a lot of work would have been put in to that bid, before Liverpool was even given the green light! There will be hundreds of people ‘behind the scenes’ who have gotten us to this point and can proudly say ‘yes, I had a part in that’ and I take my hat off to them!

Unless you’ve been involved in event organisation of this magnitude I doubt you can fully comprehend the sheer amount of work and effort put in to make it a success. I find organising local tournaments for 10+ teams stressful! You can never please all the people all of the time!

No doubt there will have been blips along the way - occasional errors of judgement in recruitment, keys locked in vans and the odd website melt down but actually 90,000 tickets sold and ticket sales exceeding all expectations, tells its own story!

You also have the people behind the teams - those 16 nations don’t just hop on a plane, rock up at the M&S arena for their first match with everything falling into place at the last minute! It will take months of meticulous planning to get everything just right and that’s before you start on the specifics for the players and coaching teams!

The real heroes of course are the ‘Pivoteers’ - the name given to the volunteers who will be selling programmes, directing crowds, flag waving and acting as ball girls at the World Cup. What an honour to be chosen and I hope every single one of them will have the best experience possible, their selfless act of volunteering surely deserves it.

I had the honour of leading a group of young volunteers at the World Netball Series (pre Fast 5s!)  in Liverpool in 2010. They were awesome and an absolute credit to the college I was working for,  at the time. It’s worth bearing in mind that they paid for their own accommodation, food and drink for the tournament and were never guaranteed watching any of the matches. They did have an amazing experience and memories that will last forever, I’m sure  will be no different for the Pivoteers!

For me though, these volunteers should be called Pivotals! As with all Netball, up and down the country, the game  doesn’t happen without extraordinary volunteers.

So, if you’re heading up to Liverpool (and from feedback I know a lot of you are!) please take a moment to show your appreciation. Whether it’s a high five or a simple thank you, those Pivoteers are pivotal to the event and it couldn’t be done without them!

#7 Legends! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 V 🌍

Approximately 2 years ago I had a conversation with a Netball ‘big wig’ about the idea of a ‘legends’ exhibition match at the World Cup! As far as I know it wasn’t taken any further, although I like to think it was the starting point for the ‘celeb’ match recently announced with Jennifer Saunders and Oti Mabusi captaining!

But, just for fun and for me to scratch an itch that’s been irritating me for a few years now! Here’s my ‘dream’ line up for England Legends v The Rest of the World!

We’ll start with England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

GK Tracey Horton: Easy one for me, she was ‘home grown’ as she was from Portsmouth & played for my club, Meon. Her mum was my first Coach! Tracey indirectly gave me a glimpse into the world of elite netball, when I wasn’t quite a teenager and the sacrifices you have to make to reach the top!

GD Kendra Lowe (Slawinski) THE England Captain, led by example and was everything you wanted to be as an impressionable young Netballer!

WD Fiona Murtagh If I remember correctly she was one of the first England Netballers to go across to play in Australia. A few years later I remember being in my debut season in Open county squad and Essex Met were in our group at Inter counties - my devastation when she was ‘rested’ against us still scars me to this day!

C Olivia Murphy / Karen Atkinson No I can’t choose between them and as it’s my dream team I don’t have to lol! Both classy mid courters, more than that, they were fab examples to watching youngsters . They have both gone on to be awesome coaches in their own right. Karen was on my UKCC Level 3 course and it was an absolute pleasure to be in her company.

WA Lucia Sdao As a  young ‘baller I was always impressed with her flair and creativity. England always had it tough against Australia and New Zealand in this era but she never ever gave up.

GA Tracey Neville No brainer! I hope she won’t mind me saying but Tracy carried a bit more weight in her days representing England - but it made me adore her more! I was a GA and let’s just say I wasn’t a skinny teenager. I remember being a young coach and attending a ‘how to select’ course and having a pretty heated argument with a more experienced coach about Tracy’s merits on an England court. I think I won! 😉

GS Lorraine Law I won’t lie the GS bib  was the one I struggled with most! In recent years England have had some shooting superstars - perhaps that’s more to do with the digital age and the rise of social media. I remember Lorraine being a target GS who had to work hard to get the ball despite her height. She was unassuming but not to be underestimated.

Subs: Amanda Newton and Sonia Mkloma we’re both lethal in circle defence, ‘tenacious’  doesn’t do either  of them justice! Sue Collins, never had the actual pleasure to see Sue play, as just before my time, but her reputation as a midfield dynamo earns her a place on my bench! Pamela Cookey: an ambassador of netball both on and off the court, I was personally devastated not to see her play at the Glasgow Commonwealth games because of injury. She was always awesome for Team Bath & Surrey Storm. Lynn Carpenter: Happy to be corrected but I remember Lynn coming into the England squad at a later stage of her netball journey. Always dignified and respectful.

Coach: Anna Mayes / Stenbridge First English Coach for a number of years. Her tenure was cut short far too soon.

Rest of the World! 🌍

GK Liz Ellis. For me, legend status is bandied around far too much in society these days let alone in sport, specifically netball! Liz Ellis is pure class and absolutely deserves the title of LEGEND! I was  privileged to see her play and despite her Aussie status I always wanted her to play her absolute best - she always did!

GD Mon’ia Gerrard. Another Aussie! I had the pleasure of seeing her play for Sydney Swifts (now defunct) in the early 2000’s. It may have even been her debut as she played WD in that game. Her
elevation was incredible and her interceptions took my breathe away. She was everything an Aussie
Diamond should be!


WD Sharon Layton. Yes I know she was predominantly GK but how can you have a World Legends team without her?!? It’s not like I can drop Liz Ellis lol! 😂 Sharni has done so much for netball off and on the court she is the ultimate netball trailblazer! Long may she continue!

C Temepara Bailey. The Silver Fern earned 89 Caps for her country and was always a force to be reckoned with. Opponents would have feared her. .

WA Liana Leota. I reckon she could still do a job for the Silver Ferns! Her timing, her vision and her feeding all sublime and still rocking it in the Vitality Superleague!

GA Mary Waya. The Malawian was an absolute star. I was spoilt for choice here, Silver Fern Belinda Colling and Aussies Sharelle McMahon and Nat Medhurst were / are absolute phenomenal GAs! But I  was in awe of Mary Waya at the World Series in Liverpool in 2010 and that’s why she gets the nod! She was in her early 40s at the time but her flair, passion and ability to entertain the crowd were phenomenal. She made that tournament.

GS Irene Van Dyke. See above re: LEGEND status! I remember Irene Van Dyke playing for South Africa before she made the switch to NZ! Yes she had height which she made very good use of, but she had far more than that to her game! Pretty sure she was still playing ANZ into her 40s. I always remember her playing with a smile on her face!

Subs: Cat Latu / Tuiviti Simple. There is no other GS like her! She should have more CAPs for NZ. I was gutted not to see her play for Sirens v Storm last season, but obviously delighted when she announced, a few weeks later, why! Belinda Colling, another Silver Fern with impeccable pedigree. Sharelle McMann, possibly the best GA of all time. I LOVE her attitude. She is the ultimate Aussie! Nat Medhurst, crying shame her Diamonds career seems to have been shorter than most would have liked! I love her ability to mix it up and play with all different styles of shooters. Nadine Bryan, not a ‘household name’ as we know Jamaican players to be now, Nadine wasn’t the tallest midcourter but she is Jamaica’s highest capped international.

A very attack minded bench! But it’s my dream team, we’d have no injuries!

Coach: Norma Plummer. There are players who would not be called ‘world class’ without Norma Plummer. That’s a big accolade!

So, who have I missed? Who was, perhaps, before my time and deserves a spot in one of the teams? Who’d be in your Legends dream team!?!

#6 Predictions

I love a prediction - I do it all the time in Vitality Superleague and Suncorp Super Netball, but here’s the thing......I am absolutely RUBBISH at it!

So, you may well ask, why am I writing a World Cup themed blog entitled ‘predictions’?!

My answer is: you can predict more than just results!

So, here’s my World Cup netball predictions, some are light hearted and not to be taken too seriously, some are sad but inevitable in elite sport and some are just me trying to take an educated guess at what may pan out at the most exciting international netball tournament..........ever!

👩🏼‍⚕️ There will be a serious injury and it’s likely to be an ACL. It seems not a week goes by in the Suncorp Super Netball where we don’t have an ACL or suspected ACL injury. It’s an all too common netball injury that clearly needs more research, not just for elite players! (Yes,  I’m nearing the end of my rehab after 2.5 years. No, I’m afraid my right knee will never be the same again 😢)

🇯🇲 Jamaica will cause a big upset. They are the team that is the most unknown. They have a very different style and they will be ‘up for it’ big time after losing to the eventual winners 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌹 by just 1 goal in the Commonwealth Semi Final. You can argue that all of the ‘Big 5’ have a point to prove, but none more so than Jamaica.
                                          

🍾 I will get drunk. I’m away for 4 nights. An overnighter for the opening ceremony and then the whole of finals weekend. I’m away from the kids with my bestest girlie friends, which also includes the women who taught me to play netball. It is bound to get messy. I will try not to blog when I’ve had more than one glass of wine. (I’m out of practice these days and it doesn’t take a lot for me to get     merry!)

🔴 There will be a controversial sending off. The game is physical and elite players more athletic and stronger than ever before. It’s inevitable. Then there will be a huge postmortem on whether the sending off will have an impact on the standings of the whole competition. It will be a big talking point!

😳 I will be asked if I’m ‘NetballCoachNow’. It happened at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and I’ve tweeted more and got more followers since then!

It’s one of the things I am looking forward to most, the netball family coming together, catching up with people I haven’t seen for ages or haven’t met at all, other than online!

#5 Don’t get me started on pregnancy & coaching!

I’m not sure the dust has settled on the shock news that Roses 🌹 Head Coach Tracey Neville will be standing down after the World Cup. I’m not sure it ever will, to be honest! 

Due to experience, this an emotive subject for me and one I have some very firm views on. I committed to writing this blog for the World Cup though and I won’t shirk away just because I’m emotional! 

I do pride myself on seeing all different points of view as I hope I’ve demonstrated in other blogs.

There’s been lots of opinions about the timing of the announcement, with heaps of netball commentators, far more qualified than me, having an opinion about it! 

Aussie great Liz Ellis and Netball Nation’s (still my fave netball podcast!) Sara Bayman are of the opinion that it was the wrong time to announce it and now the narrative will be around ‘England need to win it for Tracey’ as well as the search for her successor - detracting from the squad and their achievements at the World Cup. 

Others feel that’s its a brave decision and gives the governing body time to find the right person to take over. (Lets be honest, they are BIG shoes to fill!) 

According to BBC Essex Sport Twitter feed Roses GS Jo Harten thinks it gives the team even more motivation to win gold. 

I wonder if some consideration has also been given to the ‘leaks’ of late? There could be a risk that if a successor was being sought on the quiet, then the media could get hold of it and there would have been no control over the timing of the announcement or what was said. (Read my ‘Be Careful what you wish for blog 😉 !) 

For me there is a bigger issue and before we get into it - let’s  just remind ourselves that we really don’t know what’s been said by whom, where, when and if! We’ll probably never know. We also must respect the decision. It wouldn’t have been easy to make. 

In Tracey Neville’s Sky Sports interview she says 

“Over the last few months I have sat down with England Netball to look at how I could fulfil my role whilst taking into consideration my personal circumstances. My ambition to have a family is something I want to commit to after the Vitality Netball World Cup.”

It saddens me that a women in 2019, at the top of her game can be honest about her intentions to commit to both her career and family, but still the outcome is that she leaves the role she is has been so successful in. It doesn’t matter what line of work she’s in or what industry - it’s still, in my opinion, immensely unfair. 

From an equality point of view if a male coach had won the Commonwealth 🥇  last year was open about potentially starting a family, would this even be an issue? 

It makes my blood boil. 

I’m all for choice and know, first hand, the sacrifices made to coach full time and have a family. I’ve actually made both decisions on the flip side of the coin. To continue coaching  full time after I had my first daughter and, after a lot of soul searching, eventually deciding not to stay on full time after
my second. Both decisions caused a lot of heartache and I am still, to this day, not convinced either one were right! (Depends what mood you catch me in too!)

I was ‘only’ coaching at grass roots level - different kind of pressure altogether at elite level! 

Female Coaches Network and Project 500, a campaign to inspire and support women into sports coaching, based in South East UK, used Tracey Neville’s announcement as part of their regular #womenswednesday social media question. The  responses and advice were clear: organisational culture is a major factor in changing opinions on pregnancy and bringing up a family whilst working in sport. https://femalecoachingnetwork.com/2019/06/04/womenswednesday-choosing-family-elite-coaching-something-female-coaches-just-accept/

Research suggests (and I have my own personal evidence!) that mothers  achieve more following their return to work - they are more resourceful, more decisive and motivated. They bring a different skill set to the workforce. 

I conclude that it’s going to take some doing to ‘smash’ this glass ceiling (another one!) but once it’s done, other women have something and someone to aspire to.

I think the very fact we are talking about it, challenging it and giving more consideration to it, means we are taking small steps forward. One day we’ll have coaches, support staff, umpires and even players travelling the world with children, being the best that they can be in their sport and it will actually be ‘the norm’.

I, for one,  will raise a glass to that! 🍸

#4 Be careful what you wish for........

If you have read my previous blogs you will know I have earned the nickname Neek (Netball Geek 🤓 )

The truth is it’s in my DNA, I’ve always been like this - always had that thirst for netball knowledge and that’s manifested itself in different ways over the years. As a child I was chief supporter. As a teen I developed a passion for playing and later on realised umpiring was a great way to earn money, therefore not missing out on playing opportunities for a dreaded Saturday job!

Coaching was always ‘built in’ thanks to my strong leadership skills (previously known as bossy - but I’ve taught my six year old to answer ‘I’m not bossy I’ve got strong leadership skills’ if anyone dares call her the ‘B’ word!)

I definitely have unfinished business as a Coach but for now I’m happy to sit back, relax, help others, when and if they need it, and return when I’m stronger and ready for the challenge. Coaching is bloody difficult. Those who’ve not done it underestimate how hard it is.

All that netball experience means I do have some very strong opinions and I’m not known for keeping them to myself! Whatever I do, whatever I say about netball it does comes from the heart.

I find the evolution of netball in the past few years really exciting and I’m very proud to have played a very small role through my previous job for the National Governing Body.

Our elite game has come on in leaps and bounds - players are fitter, stronger and more athletic. The game is far more physical than it has ever been. Players are awesome role models for watching youngsters. The endorsements, sponsorships and commercial opportunities will just grow and grow and that will be needed if players and eventually umpires, coaches and support staff want Netball  as a career.

As a little girl who dreamt of playing for England (we all had dreams!) it is incredible that we now have opportunities where Netball can be a career!

At what price will all that commercialism cost Netball though?

With the influx of more money comes higher stakes.

I’ll tell you a secret: I absolutely fell in love with football when I was 11 year old. My first match was a drab draw at Fratton Park, watching the mighty (!) Portsmouth v Walsall. I got soaked in the family section but I was absolutely enthralled and adored the  blues from then on!

Until i fell out of love with football.

It was some years later with the creation of the ‘Premier League’ and Simple Minds ‘Alive and Kicking’ promoting it on Sky: in the following years I saw players rolling around ‘in agony’, transfer fees rocket to disproportionate figures and my beloved Pompey escaping extinction by the skin of their teeth thanks to some very shady owners, who apparently passed the ‘fit and proper’ football club owners test.

Simply. I fell out of love with football because of money.

In the Suncorp Super Netball league (well regarded as the best domestic league in the world, trailblazing where it’s likely the Vitality Superleague will follow!) there are currently discussions about post match panels to sanction players for indiscretions umpires may not see! That may have all sorts of implications in the future - I rue the day we have any football- like ‘simulation’ from a Netballer!

We have also seen the introduction of ‘Nissan Net Points’ rewarding a player for turnovers and successful feeds amongst other ‘positives’ but subtracting points for missed shots and failed rebounds, amongst other ‘negatives’.

I was once accused of ‘not embracing change’ but it’s not true, I actually find change exciting - but not for ‘change sake’ and certainly not just so Nissan ( or any other company!) can interfere with our great game to put their brand to it!

I cannot stand ‘booing’ at netball games - it goes against everything I am in Netball for! I made my views very clear to those around me at Surrey Storm v Manchester Thunder in Guildford a few weeks ago! 😊 Take note if you’re sitting near me in Liverpool!

I also read with interest the debate on Twitter regarding the Thunder drums at the Superleague Semi Final and whether or not they were louder when Team Bath were shooting. There were no complaints from Bath, and Thunder defended their ardent supporters - ‘adding to the atmosphere’, apparently. ‘It wouldn’t be a problem at football’ I think one Tweet suggested!

I guess that’s my point. We’re Netball. We don’t have to be like any other sport, especially not football! We can map out our own path; we don’t have to ‘boo’ the umpires, just because football supporters have been calling referee’s names beginning with ‘W’ for decades!

We also  don’t have to pay the extortionate prices big names are putting on replica kit and training gear just because there is a big tick front & centre!

Yes, we want our elite players to do well, we don’t want them worrying about pensions, maternity pay and paying their rent on time. Yes, we also want great venues and training facilities, where we can all benefit no matter what level we play at. There is an whole host of improvements that can be made to our great game and benefits for all - I’m all for it and believe there’s still lots of change to come.

I’m just ever so nervous about the implications of all the commercialism. Is anyone actually considering the consequences? Will netball look ‘better’ in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years time? For me, at the moment, it’s a case of be careful what you wish for!

#3 Podcast Pandemonium!

I’m a bit late to the podcast party but I have found myself eagerly finding and listening to various netball-themed podcasts. There have been so many launched recently,  anyone would think there was a World Cup happening! 😉

(Really, it’s ever since my Father in Law asked if i’d listened to new netball podcast ‘Netball Nation’. He’d never mentioned netball before but is a Leeds United fan and as such an Emma Louise Jones fan too! 😉)

Netball Nation remains my favourite.  I’ve listened to every episode of host Emma-Louise Jones with Sara Bayman and Maggie Birkenshaw and love their banter, their frankness and their commitment to delivering a show for everyone. They have covered everything from how the junior game can be developed for the better, memories of national clubs to the recent controversy over Ama Agbeze’s omission from the Rose’s World Cup Squad. The podcast is professionally done with a human touch. I look forward to it ‘dropping’ every week and normally listen to it on my way to training - extra motivation to smash rehab whilst I’m on the training sidelines!

Other UK-based podcasts worth a listen include the content-packed Netball Show, which can have multiple episodes a week dependent on what’s happening! They’ve always got great guests, the latest news and great opinion-packed pieces.

The original netball show has been going some time, so it seemed an odd decision by the BBC, recently launching their own netball podcast, to call it The BBC Netball Show! (Seriously - a little bit of competitor analysis needed and surely the Beeb’s creative minds could have come up with something a little more original!)

Outgoing Team Bath Director of Netball Jess Thirlby co-hosts The Netball Show on BBC Sounds. This provides a unique insight when it comes to match analysis, preview of games and squad selections. She freely admits to pulling in the ‘big guns’ for interviews too - we’ve had Serena Guthrie and I am personally looking forward to the next episode, where  we’ve been promised Aussie defensive legend Monia Gerard and Roses Coach Tracey Neville.  My #neek antennae went into overdrive!

From our overseas netball friends I’m loving brand new podcast ‘The Inner Circle’ with former Aussie Diamonds’  Sharelle McMahon and Bianca Chatfield.

It follows a similar format to Netball Nation, but focus is on Suncorp Super Netball. There has only been two episodes at the time of writing, both has been more than worth listening to. We’ve had debates on whether games should finish as a draw (watch out Vitality Superleague, broadcasters will have a big say in this!) interviews with the brilliant Sue Gaudion and Aussie GK Courtney Bruce and discussion on Diamonds World Cup selection and what Lisa Alexander might be considering in her final decisions.

As an aside I’ve picked up that Bianca Chatfield appeared in Aussie reality show ‘The Block’ and didn't see any of the Commonwealth games!

This makes me ask two questions:

1. Why ?!

2. Who is going to be the first England Rose / Retiree to feature on a UK reality show? Ama on ‘I’m a Celeb’ or Tamsin on ‘Strictly’  anyone?

Not only have I been regularly listening to Netball dedicated  programmes from the UK and abroad, but have even found a few more general  programmes featuring and interviewing our high profile netball community. Check out Jade Clarke on ‘Give me Strength’ with Alice Liveing, for a fab insight into our most capped English Rose netball journey. It was a compelling, well  interviewed and thought- provoking listen!

#2 Roses Rising 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌹

For me there were no real surprises in the England Roses Squad announcement - myself and some fellow #neek coaches had been discussing selection in the lead up  (along with majority of the netball family I am sure!)  and we’d near enough agreed with the 12 that was confirmed!

For every heartbreak and injury devastation there is a player who has an opportunity and in my opinion Panagarry, Guscoth & Williams are deserved call ups for the Agbeze, Gibson and Cobden shaped holes from Commonwealth Gold 2018. They’re the future and as with every 4 year cycle, there will be Roses retirements at the end of World Cup 2019.  We need to expose those coming through, to this level of competition, so we can continue our quest to be the best!

Attention will soon turn to our first World Cup game, which will be no pushover as we take on Uganda in the opening match. Any side featuring Peace Proscovia is going to be a threat and if nothing else we’ll see very early on who Tracey Neville’s starting 7 will be!

It’s still 49 days away (!) but my prediction would be Mentor, Guscoth, Clarke, Guthrie, Pitman, Housby & Harten. I personally prefer Haythornthwaite at WA but I’m a lowly UKCC Level 2 coach not doing a heap loads of practical at the moment - so I bow down to those far more knowledgable and not ‘coaching’ from the sofa!

I look forward to the build up to the World Cup in Liverpool with one eye on the media and marketing campaign. We have a HUGE opportunity, not just for Netball, but as a country and advocates of women’s sport to really put ourselves on the global sporting map.

Interestingly, I listened to the latest Netball Nation podcast earlier (I will save my Netball podcast recommendations for another blog but I have been listening to a lot lately!) Sara Bayman was pretty outspoken on the Ama Agbeze situation and gave some views that I am happy to admit I hadn’t considered. I will leave you to have a listen and form your own opinions!

It does make me more thoughtful about commercialism of netball though and the sacrifices we may have to make to take the sport in this new, evolving direction. Can it all be positive?

In terms of the World Cup, we  have the opportunity, as well as a responsibility in my view, to inspire, influence and engage with as many young girls and their mums, aunties, nans, teachers, etc as possible. You see, it’s not just about netball - our great game can be the vehicle that can improve health, empower and increase confidence, solve loneliness and bring about changes in skills and education. Super women can empower super women.

I have experienced netball changing lives - it is not a cliche. I only hope the work is being done in the background to be able to touch as many lives with Netball as possible. It’s not just about ‘getting bums on seats’ it’s having the understanding about what these women and girls need, having the resources in place and making it as accessible as possible.

Of course we want the GOLD medal 🥇 but there’s an opportunity with a home World  Cup to also leave a meaningful, long term legacy.