Netball

NETBALL REPORT 2021

PROGRAM STAFF

Ashlee Scofield

Head Coach

Fiona Ryan

Assistant Coach

Alex McNeil Assistant Coach

Matt Scofield Assistant Coach

Shaye Wilkinson

Assistant Coach

Karen Clark

Manager The Netball squad consists of 14-16 year old athletes, with the program’s main aim being to develop a holistic athlete who is confident in implementing the skills they have gained during their time within the program and use these to continue on their own player pathway. The program is also there to prepare athletes for the upcoming Netball NSW State and/or Emerging Talent Team selections.

After a difficult 2020, it seemed as though 2021 was shaping up to be a much more positive year, and for the most part it was. The Netball squad began the season with face-to-face training sessions the norm once again and were lucky enough to attend Netball NSW’s Academy Camp in March where they were exposed to some of NSW’s coaching greats and players from both the Swifts and Giants.

The squad was fortunate to be able to attend the Your Local Academy Games in 2021, travelling to Maitland in April to match their skills against the best of the state’s up and coming talent. The focus of the netball competition differs from others within the Academy Games format, as it concentrates on player and umpire development in an elite sporting environment, as opposed to competition ladders.

The coaching staff were impressed both on and off the court over the weekend, particularly with the camaraderie amongst the whole squad. It was fantastic to witness the great chemistry and bond within the squad. They

were always supporting and cheering each other on. It was special to watch the younger squad members grow in confidence and show improvement through the weekend.

The second half of our 2021 program was again plagued by lockdown issues, with physical squad training suspended. However, the squad embraced online Zoom sessions run by our coaching staff – keeping up with their home fitness sessions and keeping mentally fit with some fun squad Zoom sessions. With the Academy Challenge in Orange being cancelled due to COVID, the NSW Regional Academies competed in the Netball NSW X NETFIT Academy Challenge. The challenge involved weekly zooms featuring netball style HIIT Zoom sessions and inspire talks with some greats of the game.

During the 2021 season, the athletes undertook a full strength and conditioning program overseen by Mitch Nielsen and his team and were also provided with skill programs that they could complete at home when in lockdown. Face-to-face training focused on getting the foundation skills reestablished as well as touching on some match play scenarios and structures while promoting athlete led feedback and improvement.

One of the focuses during the 2021 program was to work with each athlete on their strengths, their own individually accountability and the role each of them played in a team environment. The sessions were designed to challenge the athletes to continue to step out of their comfort zones in a safe and encouraging environment.

Athletes also attended various online education sessions facilitated by IAS which covered topics such as mental toughness and social media use. Many athletes commented on the benefits they received from these additional programs, both physically and mentally.

We would like to congratulate each athlete who remained committed to attending sessions and the improvement they have shown through another disjointed program year. A special mention to our Captains for the 2021 year: Gabby Eaton, Danielle Avtarovski and Emilia Krstevski these three athletes have not only shown great leadership skills on court but also led by example off court.

ATHLETE ACHIEVEMENTS

With some events unfortunately postponed during the 2021 netball season, it was again a hard year for individual athletes to be recognised, however some were still able to make moves in their netball careers, namely:

Gabby Eaton • NSW Netball U17s Final selection stage • South Coast Blaze Premier League U23s team member – Debut match MVP • Academy Games MVP

Emilia Krstevski • Phase II Netball NSW Netball U17s Trials • South Coast Regional State Cup team • South Coast Blaze U23s training partner

Hayley Manning • Academy Games MVP

Larissa Clarke • South Coast Blaze U23s training partner