In the ever-evolving world of sports, the role of video analysis has become increasingly vital in enhancing team performance and coaching strategies. Netball Scotland has recently launched a coaching workshop, where renowned netball coach Tamsin Greenway will share her insights and experiences of video analysis. The event is set to be a game-changer, empowering coaches, and athletes to leverage the power of video analysis in their pursuit of excellence.

WHEN: Saturday 1st July 2023, 11 am – 1 pm
WHERE: Emirates Arena, Glasgow
WHO: Open to coaches of all levels, NS and non-NS members.
COST: £28.50 – NS Members / £32.50 non-NS Members – price includes ticket to watch Thistles V NSL All Stars at 3 pm!

The Rise of Video Analysis in Sports

Video analysis has revolutionized the way sports teams review and analyse their performance. It allows coaches and athletes to dissect crucial moments, identify patterns, and make data-driven decisions. With advancements in technology, video analysis tools have become more accessible, enabling teams to gain a competitive edge by fine-tuning their strategies and addressing weaknesses.

Tamsin Greenway, a former English Rose and highly successful coach, recognises the immense value of video analysis in her own career. As a regular host on Sky Netball, Greenway shares her experiences and strategies for incorporating video analysis into coaching methodologies.

Key Highlights and Insights

1. Performance Review and Player Development: Tamsin Greenway champions the importance of using video analysis as a tool for reviewing individual and team performances. By breaking down game footage, coaches can identify areas of improvement for individual players and the team as a whole. This process aids in player development, enabling athletes to refine their skills and enhance their overall performance.

2. Tactical Analysis and Game Strategy: Analysing opponents’ gameplay is a crucial aspect of sports strategy. Video analysis allows coaches to dissect opponents’ tactics and devise effective countermeasures. By identifying patterns and tendencies, teams can make informed decisions on positioning, defensive strategies, and attacking techniques.

3. Effective Communication and Feedback: Video analysis provides a visual medium for coaches to communicate with their players more effectively. Greenway regularly uses video clips to demonstrate specific techniques, tactics, or areas for improvement. This visual feedback enhances player understanding and accelerates skill development.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making: By combining video analysis with statistical data, coaches can make data-driven decisions regarding game strategies, player selection, and training plans. Greenway encourages coaches to embrace the analytical aspect of video analysis, enabling them to leverage objective insights and enhance their decision-making processes.

5. Mental Preparation and Psychological Analysis: Video analysis not only focuses on physical aspects but also plays a crucial role in mental preparation. By reviewing game footage, coaches can identify psychological patterns, assess mental resilience, and develop strategies to optimize players’ performance under stress.

Coaches can expect to gain invaluable insights into the various ways video analysis can be incorporated into training sessions and match preparation, equipping coaches with innovative ideas and techniques to optimize player performance and gain a competitive advantage.

Places are limited so book now here.

Claire Nelson will be leaving her role as CEO of both Netball Scotland and Strathclyde Sirens Netball Super League Club at the end of May to take on the newly created position of Netball Super League Managing Director where she will lead the professionalisation of the sport in the UK.

Claire joined Netball Scotland in October 2015 after having previously held a position as a non-executive Director on the Board. She came in with a huge passion for the sport and a clear vision for what she wanted to achieve and has been on a mission to take netball in Scotland to new levels ever since. Now an award-winning and globally recognized National Governing Body, Netball Scotland has been ground-breaking in its approach to challenging the gender equity gap on and off the court through participation, performance and profile, and with Sirens they have created one of the most engaging, game-changing and innovative women’s sports brands today.

On leaving her post Claire said: “Making the decision to leave Netball Scotland and Sirens has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because leading this sport and organisation has been so much more than just a job for me. It has wholly and unequivocally been a labour of love. I have poured my heart and soul into building a business that can stand tall not only in women’s sport, but in the industry as a whole, and I really believe we’ve done that. I am so proud of all we have achieved on and off the court, the impact that we have made, the barriers that we have broken down, the standards we have set, and the bar we have raised. We have led the way in what it means to be a women’s sports brand and business. We have grown and strengthened the domestic netball system and pathway to create more and better opportunities to enjoy, develop and thrive in our sport. And most importantly we have inspired, engaged, and meaningfully impacted tens of thousands of people along the way as we remained committed to our purpose of trying to change the game for a better, fairer future for the women and girls of Scotland and beyond.

“Whilst it will be extremely difficult to leave Scotland, my new role presents to me the same opportunity that I was faced with when I took on the NS CEO role nearly 8 years ago – the opportunity to lead, shape and influence what netball should and could like. But this time I will be doing it on a bigger scale, and I am ready for that challenge. Our sport, and the nations and Clubs within it, will thrive when we have the best professional domestic Leagues across the world, and I am committed to ensuring the UK builds the best.

“It has been an absolute honour to lead Netball Scotland and I am beyond grateful that I’ve been able to work with the most incredible people, from the NS staff and Board to our members, players, partners, and fans. Our Netball Family here in Scotland is the most supportive community of people, and I’d like to personally thank every single one of you who makes our sport what it is. I will miss you all terribly.

“I will be proud to pass the baton on to the next CEO who will lead the organisation into the next, and arguably most important, phase of our journey where we will strive to seize the immense opportunities ahead of us as a sport. Netball in Scotland is only just getting going and there is a very bright future ahead!”

Chair of Netball Scotland, Lucy Faulkner, added: “On behalf of the Netball Scotland Board I would like to express our deep gratitude and thanks to Claire for what she has done for netball over the last seven and half years. Claire’s leadership, fortitude, resilience, creativity, and innovation has raised the profile of our sport, influenced many people to support it, and helped them recognise the power of netball. Claire has been a gamechanger for our sport and this is evident in the vision, ambition and drive Claire has demonstrated to build relationships and secure commercial income to establish Strathclyde Sirens in the Netball Super League.

“Through her leadership, we have made a difference in the lives of many thousands of women and girls, and this has never been more evident than through the work of her team with young people, supporting and nurturing them through adolescence and beyond to choose a healthy lifestyle, be proud of their bodies, and to approach life with a positive mental attitude.

“Claire has a great skill of bringing the best people to Netball Scotland whilst building, supporting, and developing the incredible domestic talent we have in coaching, administration and officiating, and during her tenure the Scottish Thistles reached a peak ranking of 7th in the world, have remained in the top 10 and have consistently qualified for the Netball World Cup.

“The search for her successor has already begun and I am confident that we will attract a range of excellent candidates. Our new CEO will have the opportunity to build on Claire’s successes and support us to take netball in Scotland to the next level. We look forward to working with Claire in her new role as MD of the Netball Super League and wish her well in it.”

At the start of Women and Girls in Sport Week, Netball Scotland and Young Scot forged a new partnership to provide young people with more access to positive experiences that can improve their health and wellbeing. 

Netball Scotland and Young Scot have teamed up to give Young Scot National Entitlement Card (Young Scot NEC) holders exclusive access to discounted tickets, volunteering opportunities and rewards.

In line with the focus of this year’s Women and Girls in Sport Week, which shines a light on partnerships that help to break down barriers for women and girls, the new partnership will help incentivise young people to participate with Netball Scotland and take part in various experiences in their local area, by earning Young Scot Membership Reward points.

This collaboration will open up more volunteering opportunities for young people to engage with netball – including Strathclyde Sirens, Scottish Thistles and local club events. Young people will also gain access to discounted tickets for Netball Scotland events, including subsidised tickets for young people who are signed up to entitlement Young Scot packages, such as young carers.

Claire Nelson, Netball Scotland CEO, said: “Netball Scotland’s strategic partnership with Young Scot is game-changing for both netball and the young people of Scotland.

“We are excited to collaborate and showcase netball as a sport that gives more than just the game. We aim to provide young people with the tools and confidence to enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing through physical activity across all stages of their lives – and it starts as a Young Scot.

“The ability to speak directly to this cohort is critical now more than ever, and Netball Scotland are ready to play our part.”

Young Scot CEO Kirsten Urquhart said: “I am delighted to be celebrating the Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week by announcing this exciting new partnership with Netball Scotland. Both organisations are looking forward to working together to ensure young people have access to positive experiences that improve their health and wellbeing and provide spaces where they can connect and have fun!

“It is imperative that we all work towards eliminating barriers for all young people. By creating these opportunities to work collaboratively, we are continuing to open up healthy, local, active experiences for young people via the Young Scot NEC with discounts, rewards and opportunities.”

The Young Scot Rewards programme encourages young people to be active citizens by rewarding them for taking part in positive activities. All 12 to 26-year-olds in Scotland can use their Young Scot National Entitlement Card (Young Scot NEC) number to sign up as a Member for free at young.scot and access Young Scot Rewards. Every young person living in Scotland is entitled to a free Young Scot NEC so there are no financial barriers to taking part. Once they’re signed up at young.scot, young people can take part in lots of different types of activities and earn Young Scot Rewards points.

Bringing netball fans and supporters closer to the action, Netball Scotland is delighted to be the first netball governing body to join Recast, a subscription-free, live, and on-demand sports and entertainment streaming platform based right here in Scotland, headquartered in Edinburgh.

Netball Scotland’s Recast channel will allow access to a range of content from behind-the-scenes exclusives, player interviews, grassroots competitions, live events and more.

The first event to be live streamed on the channel is the 2022 Super Cup Finals taking place on Sunday 25th September. After a debut year behind closed doors in 2021, we are thrilled to bring this exciting competition to fans and families for 2022. Netball Scotland Pathway athletes join a selection of Thistles & Strathclyde Sirens legends past & present as 4 teams fight it out to take home the Super Cup. With the first two rounds already producing some thrilling close games, the finals are set to be unmissable! Netball fans from all over will get exclusive access to catch Scotland’s up and coming netball talent as they compete alongside established Thistles and Sirens players.

Stephanie Karvelis, COO of Netball Scotland and Strathclyde Sirens, said; “Netball Scotland is delighted to join with Recast as we create more visibility for our sport. The ability to watch our domestic competitions from anywhere and enjoy thrilling netball is game changing for our players and supporters alike. We can’t wait to grow our Recast channel over the coming seasons to maximise content for our supporters as we grow the game across Scotland.”

For Fans, Recast is free to join, easy to use, accessible from any device and content is affordable. Netball fans can watch what they want, where they want and how they want, giving them the power of choice and in turn, investing into the growth of netball in Scotland, with the majority of revenue generated on the platform going directly back to the sport.

Andy Meikle, Founder and CEO of Recast said; “Netball Scotland’s Recast Channel will give them more control over their content, and give fans access to the content they want, when they want it. As the first netball national governing body on our platform, they have grasped the opportunity to utilise Recast’s unique microtransaction model to unlock vital new digital revenue, build new audiences and strengthen connections with their fans in the UK and beyond.”

Netball Scotland supporters can join Recast for free here – and will receive 100 free Cast Credits when they join. To earn extra Casts to watch content, fans can watch ads, share content, invite friends, or purchase Cast Credits, with one Cast Credit valued at 1p, using Recast’s unique microtransaction model.

To follow Netball Scotland’s Recast channel, join Recast here.

Netball Scotland is launching a new Elite Coach Mentoring and Development Programme aimed at coaches who have the potential and ambition to coach at Super League or International level.

The programme will run for 18 months from March 2022 to August 2023 and will consist of individual and collective learning opportunities at regular meetings, workshops, and practical interventions to support their individual and collective needs, unique to the experiences faced in elite netball. The programme at candidates will be reviewed on a 6 monthly basis to ensure they are progressing.

The programme will contain a combination of the following:
• 1:1 coach mentoring – virtual and in-person
• Technical & tactical mentoring and development
• Cross-sport learning
• Coach conversations – forums involving coaches from a variety of sports

Karen Atkinson, Netball Scotland Performance Director says;

‘This course is part of our commitment at Netball Scotland to ensure more coaches have the ability and confidence to coach at the elite level. We want to develop our potential coaches and give them the tools to succeed, both on and off the court. It will provide our coaches with the development they need, including a broader support network and an understanding of what is required to coach at the highest level’.

For informal enquiries please contact Netball Scotland Performance Director, Karen Atkinson at karen.atkinson@netballscotland.com or Head of Netball, Rebecca Hope at rebecca.hope@netballscotland.com

Applications to be received no later than 5pm on Friday 4th March.

Please send a coaching CV along with a cover letter detailing why you would like to be involved in this programme to rebecca.hope@netballscotland.com

Netball Scotland has today announced that they have been awarded the rights to host the European Netball World Cup Qualifiers 2022 (ENWCQ 2022).

The tournament, showcasing 6 European Nations, will take place in Emirates Arena, Glasgow across 14th-18th October 2022 inclusive.

The competing Nations – Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Gibraltar and Isle of Man – will be fighting it out to qualify for the Netball World Cup 2023 hosted by South Africa.

Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland said: “We are delighted to have been awarded hosting rights for the European Netball World Cup Qualifiers in 2022. The pinnacle of the global netballing calendar, the Netball World Cup is the event that all nations strive to qualify for and compete at, so being able to have the backing of our home crowd as we take on the rest of Europe gives us an important advantage.

Here in Scotland we have built a strong reputation for delivering world-class events and we look forward to working with the City of Glasgow and key Partners to ensure that we put on an exceptional Qualifiers for teams, fans and global netball audiences.”

This news is welcomed by Scotland fans who were treated to two convincing wins by Scottish Thistles over Barbados Bajan Gems in their recent test matches.

World Netball President, Liz Nicholl said: “This is a really important event in the netball calendar and following Netball Scotland’s successful hosting of a test series earlier this month, I have no doubt they will put on a fantastic event.”

Scottish Thistles Head Coach, Tamsin Greenway commented: “The World Cup Qualifiers next year are huge for us, so to be able to host these in Scotland is very exciting news. We look forward to welcoming the other nations and putting on a strong performance both on and off the court.”

A total of 16 nations will progress to the Netball World Cup 2023, England having already secured their place means only 2 from the ENWCQ will make the top 16.

Netball Europe Chair, Catherine Lewis is looking forward to seeing who will claim the remaining two slots: “International Netball is gearing up as we work our way through the COVID-19 Pandemic. It only feels like yesterday that we were watching the Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool in 2019 but preparations have been well underway for the 2023 World Cup in South Africa. England will qualify by virtue of their current world ranking leaving two more places for European teams to be at the netball top table event. This netball WCQ is a showcase of the fantastic netball we have in Europe and with a good luck to all the participating teams we look forward to seeing who will take the remaining two slots and the flights out to Cape Town, South Africa!”

Returning to her Captaincy earlier this year, Claire Maxwell stated: ‘The World Cup Qualifiers are a crucial event in the Scottish Thistle’s Calendar. We are delighted that we will have the support of the #ThistlesArmy in Scotland for this pivotal event.”

More information on tickets for the 5-day event will be released in the new year.