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.”

Netball Scotland are thrilled to launch our very first Academic Partnership with St George’s School, Edinburgh.

This exciting collaboration is a first of its kind for Netball Scotland and one that will see us work together with St George’s to increase community participation in netball and engage with more young people as we continue to promote the many benefits of sport to overall health and wellbeing.

St George’s have already played an instrumental role in the restart of netball in Edinburgh by opening their doors and the access to their fantastic outdoor netball facilities to some of the existing netball community. Joining forces with the highly regarded girls’ day and boarding school allows us the opportunity to further collaborate and open up more opportunities to engage with and inspire young people through the power of sport.

Clare Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland;

“I am immensely proud of this new partnership with St. George’s – a partnership which I hope will create a powerful model for how we grow and develop as a sport through young people, education and communities. This partnership reflects our commitment to using our platform and power as a sport to engage with, educate, empower and inspire the next generation of leaders, athletes, volunteers and game changers who are needed to build a better, fairer and more equal world for all, in and outside of sport.”

Geraldine McGuire, Head of Development, Netball Scotland;

“We are very much looking forward to activating our first Academic Partnership with St George’s School for Girls.  Together we are fully committed to using sport and physical activity to intentionally bring about positive change for individuals and communities.  Combining our knowledge and expertise in netball and the education sector, this is an exciting opportunity for us to make a positive impact on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of both the girls at St George’s and members of the wider community.”

Alex Hems, Head of St George’s School, Edinburgh;

“This partnership with Netball Scotland is an exciting step forward for St George’s. We are delighted to have this chance to combine expertise and experience with such a dynamic governing body, to open up opportunities for access to netball for women and girls across Scotland. Together I am sure we can be significant change-makers in the game and in education. This is an inspiring and important new era for empowering girls through sport.”

Mel Benson, Head of Lower School & Community Engagement, St George’s School;

“It has been so rewarding working with Netball Scotland to help restart the sport on the back of the pandemic. We are passionate about opening our doors and creating and facilitating as many opportunities as possible for girls, women and the wider community to play, compete and enjoy the sport netball. With a very active programme already in place, we are very much looking forward to unlocking further opportunities under the 3 strands; Women & Girls, Education and Community.”

The governing bodies for netball in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have come together to launch a joint initiative aimed at protecting the sport’s longevity and getting women and girls across the UK active again.

Earlier this year all netball activity came to an abrupt halt due to COVID-19, putting the brakes on the incredible momentum the sport had been enjoying, from huge increases in participation at a grassroots level, record attendance figures at international and Vitality Netball Superleague games and more press attention than ever before following the successful Vitality Netball World Cup.

More worryingly, the pandemic meant women and girls’ activity levels suffered, with thousands of people unable to get on a netball court during lockdown and only 25% of women meeting weekly activity guidelines of 150 minutes per week according to a survey conducted by Savanta ComRes on behalf of Sport England.

Unsurprisingly, lockdown also placed significant financial strain on England Netball, Netball Northern Ireland, Netball Scotland and Welsh Netball, which are all not-for-profit organisations, meaning every penny earned via ticketing revenue and membership goes straight back into the sport. Through membership, each organisation has helped thousands of women and girls get active, trained umpires and coaches, supported rising stars on their journey to competing nationally and much more.

In a bid to tackle these significant challenges, the home nations have today launched a campaign called #TogetherWeAreNetball, thought up by Welsh Netball, to encourage members to renew their membership for the 2020/21 season, therefore protecting the sport financially, and to drive participation upon netball’s return.

Across the UK, some forms of netball have started to return in certain areas faster than others. However, it’s clear that there is still a lot for each netball organisation to do before netball in its fullest form can return.

Sarah Jones, Welsh Netball CEO, said: “The netball governing bodies across the UK have been working tirelessly since March to keep the Netball Family safe, informed and engaged. We have worked collaboratively to ensure that our members are able to return to court safely, in line with our return to netball roadmaps and respective Government guidelines. We have consulted our members, obtained the latest medical and scientific advice and placed an emphasis on regular, clear communication throughout this crisis.

This unprecedented challenge has also presented us with a wealth of new digital opportunities, and the Netball Family has united like never before. Plus, thanks to the International Netball Federation and Netball Europe via their COVID-19 relief fund, they have enabled us to bring this collaborative vision to life. Their support and that of our community is vital to protect the future of our game and ensure that we survive and emerge stronger than ever, because #TogetherWeAreNetball.”

This is the first time that the four nations have ever collaborated on a campaign of this kind.

Fran Connolly, the CEO of England Netball, added: “To have all four nations coming together in support of this initiative is monumental. It shows what netball is all about and how much this sport matters to us all. None of us could have anticipated the impact COVID-19 would have and the pressures it would put our sport under but we are doing all we can to protect it.

By collaborating on this initiative we can tap into each other’s resources, speak to a bigger audience and demonstrate how this sport can connect us all, even during difficult times. At England Netball, we not so long ago launched an individual campaign called #RiseAgain based on membership and  this initiative with the home nations is a great extension of that, bringing not only England based netballers together but the whole of the UK. I hope our members will get behind us in supporting #TogetherWeAreNetball because the future of netball is in their hands.”

A new report from Women in Sport found that women are worried about being able to re-establish their previous levels of physical activity prior to lockdown, with 39% concerned that losing their fitness would have a long-term impact, and a quarter of women feeling it would be really hard to get back into the habit of exercise again. Plus, they stated that weight gain and low fitness could lead to decreased self-confidence, body-image perceptions and self-esteem which may act as barriers for women participating in sport and exercise.

CEO of Netball Scotland, Claire Nelson, commented: “We netballing nations know first-hand the power that our sport has, and we take our responsibility as role models and leaders in the health and wellbeing agenda very seriously. With more women and girls reporting lower body confidence and self-esteem levels than ever before, physical activity rates in adolescent girls at an all-time low and over a quarter of women saying that they feel it will be really difficult to get back into the habit of exercise again, it is absolutely critical that netball is able to continue to engage, support, inspire and empower the millions of women and girls across the UK who participate in or watch our sport and need us now more than ever.”

Karen Rollo, the CEO of Netball Northern Ireland, said: “The heart and soul of our sport is our people; we play with and for our teammates and friends, we volunteer to allow others to have the opportunities we’ve had, we support our national players because they show us how skilful and fast our game can be and we’ve maybe even come up against them on court in our domestic competitions! Our membership has supported us to get to where we are; the events, the profile, the opportunities – we can’t continue to do all these things without the continued support of our amazing people; our members.

We are working hard to ensure we get our sport back on court safely, that we stay back and that we push on and build of the achievements of before, but first, we need to navigate our way through this challenge, one that no one has experienced before. We need your support now more than ever and with it, we will come back and we will build again. As players we say, ‘here if you need’, we are now saying, we need your membership, it has never mattered more.”

To get involved in this exciting new initiative, simply join the conversation by using #TogetherWeAreNetball on social media and by ensuring you’ve signed up to your 2020/21 membership today.

Find Shareable Reources here!

On April 3^rd Strathclyde Sirens and Scottish Thistles Captain Claire Maxwell joined the BBC to Launch their Netball World Cup countdown. Claire was joined by England Netball’s Head Coach Tracey Neville (MBE) and Northern Ireland’s Head Coach Dan Evans to launch the #100Days100Girls100Goals campaign which will see the sports elite players share their goals and celebrate how they can empower women and girls through netball.

Throughout the Morning Claire appeared on several BBC Programmes to promote the Vitality Netball World Cup 2019 and share the campaigns message.

Stop 1: BBC Breakfast:

Claire, joined by Tracey Neville (MBE) and Dan Evans, began the day live with Sally Nugent on BBC Breakfast to celebrate the 100 Days to go countdown at Salford’s Media City. The group were joined by 100 schoolgirls from Loreto Grammar School, Manchester High School for Girls, St Bede’s College, and St Patrick’s RC High School where a pop-up netball court was erected, and various netball activities were displayed.

When asked about World Cup preparations Claire said: “We’re currently using the Superleague as a platform to improve our performance, working along side our national coaches and head coach of the Superleague team, we’re really proud of what we’re doing and we’re hoping to take that onto the World Cup stage.”

• Tickets to the Vitality Netball Superleague Big Easter Weekend can be found here.
• Tickets to Sirens Netball v Wasps can be found here.

Stop 2: BBC Radio 5 Live

Claire then seamlessly stepped into BBC Radio 5 Live for an interview with Rachel Burden and Nicky Campbell, to discuss the growth of netball.

When talking about the expected impact of the World Cup on future Netball participation Claire said: “There’s been a 58% increase in participation levels since the Commonwealth Games that were held in us (Scotland). We’re really proud of all the people who are now bouncing back, picking up the sport, and just enjoying it for the great sport that it is!”

If you want to Bounce Back to netball, or just find out more about netball in your area click here.

Stop 3: BBC Radio 2

The third stop of the day seen Claire join Mike Williams on BBC Radio 2. The pair discussed the Preliminaries: Stage One group draw which sees the Thistles face off in Group D with England, Uganda and Samoa. When asked about the prospect of facing England Claire seemed unphased by the challenge ahead, saying “Our aim is to get top 8, but we’re looking forward to taking on the commonwealth games champions, they’ll be gunning for a gold medal at the world cup, so, it’ll be a fantastic game to compete against the world’s best!”

Stop 4: Newsround

Claire ended the day in a far more inconspicuous manner returning to the pop-up netball court to run through drills with 100 school girls from surrounding Manchester schools. This was filmed for a short piece on The Netball World Cup shown on Newsround later that day, with several of the school girls being interviewed to share their excitement and what they hope a home World Cup could lead to for the future growth of netball in the UK!

One of the school girls interviewed was just excited to see “three of the Home Nations come together on our doorstep.”

Where to watch the #NWC2019

The Netball World Cup will be held in Liverpool from Sunday 7^th of July and will run for 10 days, finishing on Sunday the 21^st of July with the Netball World Cup Final. If you want to follow the Thistles on their #RoadToLiverpool you can grab your tickets here.

If you can’t make it to Liverpool, don’t worry, the games will be shown on both Sky Sports and the BBC. Sky Sports, the host broadcaster, will air every game from the 10-day tournament live across its

To coincide with #InternationalWomensDay we are excited to announce the start of our new campaign #EveryBodyForNetball.

Our mission here at Netball Scotland is to ‘empower our people to succeed and thrive‘ and that is why we want to encourage everybody, no matter their age, weight or ability to get involved in netball across Scotland.

Discussing the impact of this campaign our CEO Claire Nelson says “Our sport succeeds & thrives because it is made up of millions of different beautiful body shapes, all working together on & off the court. Diversity is what makes a team. Diversity is what makes our sport.”

In line with this mission we offer a range of netball clubs for varying abilities and encourage everyone to get involved with netball throughout Scotland.

And that why is we want you, our marvellous netball community, to help spread this message! So, this #IWD2019 and beyond make sure and use the hashtag #EveryBodyForNetball on all your netballing photos and don’t forget to tag us on our socials @netballscotland and @SirensNetball too!

At Netball Scotland, we consider ourselves to be a pioneering National Sports Governing Body at the forefront of #ChangingTheGame for female sports in Scotland. Passionate about empowering our people to succeed and thrive, we are one of the country’s fastest growing sports, and with the launch of our Vitality Netball Superleague Franchise, Sirens, in 2017 we show no signs of slowing down.

As we head into our next Strategic Planning cycle, Netball Scotland is committed to growing the game, raising performance and developing the sport through innovation, empowerment and excellence, and is now recruiting an experienced and ambitious Head of Commercial & Partnerships to help us with our mission.

A unique and exciting new role, the Head of Commercial & Partnerships will bring strong commercial expertise and business acumen to the Senior Management Team (SMT), and will work closely with the CEO, Board and colleagues to develop and deliver a strategy that will support the growth and aspirations of the sport through business development, income generation and operational excellence.

The ideal candidate will have a record of achievement in leading the development and execution of commercial growth strategies, as well as the vision and energy to take this new role and make it their own. Proactive, innovative and insightful, you will be adept at monetising assets, negotiating at the highest level and turning ideas into reality.

The Head of Commercial and Partnerships will have overall responsibility for:

• Leading the development and successful implementation of the Netball Scotland commercial strategy, developing revenue streams and monetising assets.
• Establishing and owning the sponsorship strategy, including developing the brand proposition, lead generation, contract negotiation, execution of activation plans and reporting.
• Line managing a team of staff and overseeing the day to day commercial and operational performance of the Sirens Superleague Franchise.
• Inspiring, empowering and motivating the Sirens operational & Netball Scotland communications teams to deliver a step change in our operational and commercial approach.
• Partnership management, engagement and activation to generate maximum ROI.
• Working with the SMT to set financial targets and budgets across the business.

Entrepreneurial and strategic in your approach, this is a multi-faceted ‘hands-on’ role which spans leadership, strategy, operations, commercial, revenue generation, financial management, sponsorship, events, PR and communications. A confident communicator, you will be comfortable engaging with, and presenting to, both internal and external stakeholders, as well as speaking on behalf of both Sirens and Netball Scotland.

To secure this position you will need a CV that demonstrates previous success in a leadership position with responsibility for both operational and commercial development. You will also have large measures of passion, determination and enthusiasm for harnessing the power of sport and leveraging the assets for commercial success.

Organisation: Netball Scotland

Salary: Competitive + OTE

Location: Glasgow

Contract type: Fixed Term (Full time)

Closing date: 5pm Friday 24^th August 2018

If you wish to be a part of this exciting new chapter in Scottish sport and feel that you have the skills and experience required, send your CV with an accompanying letter outlining why you believe that you are the exceptional candidate that we are looking for, to:    Claire Nelson, CEO Netball Scotland ceo@netballscotland.com