Netball Scotland is delighted to announce its partnership with KitQueen, a leading online retailer of women’s team wear. KitQueen will be the Official Partner of the Scottish Thistles as they embark on the Netball World Cup 2023, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from 28th July to the 6th of August.

Netball Scotland and KitQueen have a shared vision and ethos of empowering women and girls in sport and understand the importance of inclusive, functional teamwear when it comes to keeping women and girls engaged in sports and physical activity, through all stages of life.

Lucy Faulkner, Chair of Netball Scotland, commented, “We’re delighted that KitQueen has become a Netball Scotland partner. We love the way they champion diversity, inclusion, and body confidence in HER and this perfectly aligns with our approach to supporting women and girls to love their bodies, be physically active, and enjoy netball at all levels. We welcome KitQueen to the Netball Scotland family and look forward to working with them.”

The partnership will see the KitQueen logo take pride of place on the Thistles World Cup dress. As the official sponsor, KitQueen has worked together with Nike to design the dress by combining the elite functionality and performance of the Nike dress, with the heritage and pride of the Scottish Thistle and luck and positive energy of Scottish marble.

Scottish Thistles players were presented with their personalised ‘Kitmas’ boxes containing their official NWC dresses, and a special gift of Scottish Marble by KitQueen co-founder Parisha Patel © Craig Watson

“We are so honoured to be partnering with the Scottish Thistles in the lead-up to the momentous Netball World Cup,” says Parisha Patel, Chief Consumer Officer at KitKing and Co-founder of KitQueen. “As a passionate netball player myself, I know what this World Cup means to the players, and to be able to work with Netball Scotland to design this dress has been a real achievement for KitQueen. Together we have created a dress that brings pride to the players, unites them as a team, and inspires them to excel on the court and achieve great success during the tournament.”

Currently ranked 10th in the world, the Scottish Thistles will travel to South Africa to kick off their Netball World Cup 2023 campaign with their opening game against sixth-place-ranked Malawi on 28th July. Alongside them in Pool B of the competition is also Barbados, currently 14th in the world, and England, ranked 3rd in the world. Sixteen teams will be battling it out across the ten days, in the hope they will be crowned champions in netball’s most prestigious event.

About

KitQueen is the world’s first multi-sport teamwear specialist for HER, supplying and customising teamwear for girls and women.

Co-founded by Parisha and her husband Dips owners of Kitking, KitQueen has now established itself as the forefront leader in Her team wear. KitQueen’s mission is to champion inclusivity, diversity, and body confidence in HER team sports, and believes that providing the right education and information on how team kit should work for her, fit her, protect her, support her, give her confidence and make her feel like she belongs. All so she can focus, enjoy, and win her game!

To find out more about the partnership and view KitQueen’s large selection of teamwear, visit https://kitqueen.co.uk/

For netballers in Scotland – the joy of playing, the bonds formed with teammates, and the opportunities for growth and competition make our leagues a cherished part of the netball community. Through local leagues, players not only embrace the physical and mental aspects of the sport but also contribute to its vibrant culture, ensuring that netball continues to thrive for generations to come.

Kinross netball club is a standout example of this vibrancy and has recently celebrated the success of its second annual Outdoor Junior Charity Festival.

Speaking to Elaine Stapleton who runs Kinross Netball club, she explains.
“It was so good to see so many young netballers enjoying the festival with their coaches, teammates, and family supporters. It really brings our club together within the community to showcase netball.”

“The basis of our club is friendship, we have over 15 of our juniors’ mums playing in our league teams/social sessions and helping at our junior sessions. We really are a netball family.”

A great day out for the whole family and something the whole community can get involved in.

The feedback from the first event was so good that we have decided to make it an annual event, everyone has so much fun, it’s a brilliant way to interact with all the other teams and make new connections. This year we hosted all age groups from Primary through to our U17’s. We had an amazing 42 teams playing throughout the day over 3 courts.

“We have a great viewing area for the families to watch and enjoy the day, with some activity stalls, music playing, home baking and good banter on the mic from the main desk.”
“We encourage as many of our members as possible to help on the day and get involved. We are committed to the development of netball in our area, and it is important to let our local community see our sport being played. We have the older age groups helping with the younger ones and scoring the games, as well as opportunity for our umpires to gain practice.”

Looking ahead to next year Elaine says,
“As well as planning to host the Junior Festival again, we’d like to look at hosting a Senior Summer League next year. Our plans are to have the lines redone as they are poor, the 3 outdoor courts are full size, and we are lucky to have this facility on our doorstep.”
Local leagues and events serve as the beating heart of netball communities, offering a vibrant and inclusive space for players of all ages and skill levels to come together in their shared passion.

“The more we promote Netball in our area, the more people of all ages and ability will want to play and our aim is to make sure they do! Kinross Netball Club is continuing to grow and we are committed to the development of our umpires and coaching team to ensure that our club can be the best it can be.”

The inaugural Sue Hastie Memorial Tournament was held on Sunday 12 June 2022.
With 10 teams participating from the Moray & Highland regions, 4 of which were from Sue’s beloved Lossie Ladies Netball Club, and with team names and kit promoting ‘Pink’ in tribute to our much-loved teammate Sue, Lossie, and Sue’s battle with breast cancer.
Fancy dress/wear something pink was encouraged at this special fun tournament.

Caroline Cameron gave a heartfelt speech to open the event, highlighting Sue’s contribution to netball, her personal impact, and her special legacy.
We were delighted to have Graeme, Sue’s husband present the winner’s cup, having enjoyed watching some incredible netball throughout the afternoon.

Every aspect of the netball event would have delighted Sue, her sons Matt and Andy were truly inspirational on court, not having played netball for 10 years+, when they used to come along with Sue to our training sessions at Lossie. Having the boys playing with us back then always added a huge amount of fun and athleticism. On Sunday their play was absolutely sensational!

All of the teams competing on Sunday were amazing. Our mixed Lossie team were:
Matt & Andy (Hastie magic x 2), Amy (ace Lossie coach & player), Sharon and Katie (we all love a mum and daughter duo), Kirstin (one of the most smiley centre’s in netball), and me (good having an old one with a few tricks/trips).

Like every netball team competing on the day and throughout the sport, everyone loves the buzz of running around the court, (or beside the court as umpire, coach, spectator), and to share in the passion for the sport, the wonderful people they meet and long lasting friendships made.

Sue had an incredibly positive influence, as a teammate, as an NS Tutor and umpire mentor and truly special friend. Sue had a wonderful, natural ability to tell you the honest truth, she had an astute insight and offered sound advice with never ending encouragement. Sue had a strong personality on and off the court, full of laughter, and we miss her dearly. Her courage and her love of ‘all things Lossie Ladies’ never wavered and we feel extremely lucky and honoured to have known her. The Sue Hastie Memorial netball tournament will be an annual event, a fitting tribute to a wonderful lady.

Lots of ex-Lossie players returned to play and support the event on Sunday, which made it extra special and emotional for us all.
Jo Saville (Brown) a former sports teacher and founder of our club came to support us and kindly gifted flowers as a prize for the best fancy dress.

The tournament raised monies in aid of Marie Curie, chosen by Graeme in recognition of the care given latterly to Sue. Fundraising is ongoing, from team entry fees, a lovely bake sale, and a bottle of Lindores Abbey whisky for a future fundraiser, courtesy of Matt’s generous employers at Lindores Abbey Distillery.

Lossie Ladies mixed team were the (joint) winners of the Sue Hastie Memorial Cup, sharing the win with Gordonstoun staff mixed team, a really perfect way to end the day and competition.

The quality and effort of each of the netball teams competing at the tournament was really superb. There is nothing quite like competitive play for individuals and teams to hone their skills, learn, reflect and grow. All teams thrive on sportsmanship, determination and skill. Being kind, supportive and respectful of your teammates, your opposition and the match officials are always admirable qualities.

We would wish to say a big thank you to everyone who organised, participated and supported the event, and those who wished to be there, who sent lovely messages but were unable to join us. Many thanks to Hendrik Lessing and Gordonstoun school for coordinating and hosting the tournament.

Sue would have loved it all. We definitely felt her to be with us, an unbelievable magical day!

Fiona Houliston, Lossie Ladies Netball Club & Vice-Chairman Highland & Moray League

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

Three female sport stars are giving back to the sports that they love through the sportscotland Coaching Futures programme.

Olympian Sally Conway (judo), Rachel Cremin (netball), and Maddy Jennings (canoeing) have all been named as apprentice coaches with their respective governing bodies of sport.

Coaching Futures is sportscotland’s performance athlete to coach apprenticeship programme, designed to increase the number of ‘home-grown’ coaches working in Scotland. The programme helps Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGBs) to harness the experience of performance athletes and to create opportunities for them to transition into coaching.

The programme provides a unique opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ as apprentices will be given time to learn through study and by working alongside some of Scotland’s most experienced coaches and coach developers. Most importantly, it provides opportunity to learn through experience and gives the apprentice the tools they need to direct the development of their coaching practice.

Mike Whittingham, Director of High Performance at the sportscotland institute of sport said:

“We are absolutely delighted that three athletes of the calibre of Sally, Rachel and Maddy have been successful in securing places on the Coaching Futures programme.

“At the sportscotland institute of sport our role is to work with the governing bodies of sport to nurture athletes as they progress in their careers and that doesn’t end when they stop competing. As athletes, all three have learned a great deal about coaching and performance environments so it is fantastic that this expertise will be retained in Scottish sport. I wish them every success in their new careers.”

Sally Conway has competed at the highest level in her sport having won medals at Olympic, Commonwealth, World and European level, making her Scotland’s most successful judoka. She announced her retirement earlier this month but thanks to the Coaching Futures programme, her expertise will not be lost to the sport, but will inspire future generations.

Commenting on Sally’s appointment, Ronnie Saez, Chair of JudoScotland, said:

“I am delighted that Sally has decided to join JudoScotland’s performance coaching team. It is a fantastic opportunity for our athletes to learn from the most successful Scottish Judoka of recent years, and we wish her every success as she embarks on her coaching career”

While Sally herself said: “I’m so excited to be a part of the Coaching Futures programme. I’m looking forward to learning all I can from the coaches at JudoScotland and others I come in contact with. I can’t wait to get started!”

Rachel Cremin is currently Strathclyde Sirens U21 Lead Coach and the Director of Netball at the University of Strathclyde. She has competed at the highest club level and captained the Scottish University squad at the Home Nations event where she was awarded player of the tournament.

Rachel has already been recognised for her contribution to coaching, being named Netball Scotland’s Junior Coach of the Year. Rachel made a successful transition to performance coaching and led Scotland U21s to a silver medal at Netball Europe.

Claire Nelson, Chief Executive, Netball Scotland said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded funding against the Coaching Futures programme again as this investment proved to be hugely significant in enhancing our performance programme through people when we successfully secured this investment five years ago. Then we were able to appoint Lesley MacDonald into the CFC role, and since then she has gone on to play a major role in our High Performance Coaching team as an assistant National Coach, and now as our Strathclyde Sirens Head Coach.

“This funding empowers us to develop our talented coaches and drive towards achieving our performance targets as a sport, and we are grateful to be able to support Rachel Cremin through this programme. We are all excited to see what she achieves in this role.”

Rachel is excited to be taking on a new challenge:

“I feel incredibly lucky to do the job that I do. Having volunteered in the sport that I love for 12 years, I am now privileged enough to say that this is my career and no longer my hobby.

“I love what I do, I love my sport and I want to continue to develop my skills, knowledge and expertise both as a Performance Coach and as a Leader in Sport.”

Maddy Jennings is a world class Canoe Slalom paddler who has represented Great Britain at European Championships, as well as competing extensively in Europe, racing for Scotland.

Jon Schofield, Head of Performance and Pathways at the Scottish Canoe Association is looking forward to having Maddy on board:

“Maddy has been progressing towards coaching over the last couple of years, working as a volunteer with young paddlers across Scotland with characteristic enthusiasm and passion for the sport.

“She has also been a driving force in the sport, sitting on the Scottish Canoe Slalom Committee and serving as the organiser for the Scottish Championships. Alongside her paddling and coaching commitments, she has been studying for a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Napier University making her the most perfectly qualified candidate for this apprenticeship.”

Maddy is excited about what lies ahead: “The Coaching Futures programme is like a condensed and bespoke degree course without the stress and the rules, but all of the challenge and opportunity.

“I’m passionate about providing paddlers with a good experience in the sport and giving them the opportunity to excel on the world stage. I’m looking to learn as much as possible from this apprenticeship and look forward to my coaching journey evolving over the next two years.

“Starting this journey with the SCA has already been one of my best decisions.”

The three apprentices announced today are part of the third cohort of athletes to take part in the programme. Fifteen athletes across 11 sports have already benefited from Coaching Futures and have gone on to coaching positions in Scotland, Great Britain and internationally.

Netball Scotland are pleased to announce the appointment of former Chair, Freda Hutchison MBE, as the inaugural President of the organisation.

This prestigious new role sees Freda take on an important ambassadorial position for the organisation where she will be a public figurehead for the sport and its people, both domestically and on the international stage. A champion for our members, and an inspirational representative of the values and ambitions of Netball in Scotland, Freda will support and advocate for the work of the Board and staff.

As a previous Chair of the Netball Scotland Board from 2011 to 2017, Freda has contributed to the outstanding progress of Netball in Scotland setting the pace for meaningful change.  Outside of Netball, Freda has had an impressive career in education spanning 36 years, holding multiple teaching roles including Head of PE, Principle Teacher and Equal Opportunities and Development Support Officer, before being appointed as the Head Teacher at Earnock High School and then finally at Calderside Academy before her retirement in 2010.

Since joining Netball Scotland’s Board of Directors in 2010 Freda has dedicated herself to boosting the sport’s growth and profile, an achievement which was recognised in December 2018 when she was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace for Services to Netball.

Speaking on her appointment, Freda says: “I feel very honoured and proud to be appointed as the first ever President of Netball Scotland. As a previous Chair of the Netball Scotland Board until 2017, I’m absolutely delighted to be involved again. I look forward to working with the new Chair, Ed Crozier, whilst supporting the fantastic and ongoing progress achieved by our CEO, Claire Nelson, the Board, the Netball Scotland staff and also all of our hard-working volunteers.

I am very excited to get started soon in my new role as President. I will wholeheartedly support Netball Scotland’s tremendous work ethic and extensive developmental initiatives to ensure we enhance our profile and status both at home and on the world stage. I want to play a very positive part in achieving this vision of our Netball future.”

As part of her role as President, Freda will continue the work she began on the Netball Scotland Board and will be a visible champion for driving participation, involvement, and opportunities within Netball.

Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland added: “I am beyond delighted to welcome the incredible Freda Hutchison MBE into this high profile new role with Netball Scotland. As we continue to grow as a sport we felt it was important to ensure that we had an organisational figurehead who would not only be an impassioned, respected and influential ambassador for Netball in Scotland, but that would also provide our members, fans and volunteers with a champion who would effectively engage, listen and represent their views to the staff and Board.

Freda appointed me as CEO back in 2015 and has supported my vision and drive for our sport ever since, and so it brings me absolute joy to announce her as our first ever President. I know that she will do all of us, and our sport, proud throughout her term of office.”

Freda will commence her role in the new year.