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.

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.

We are beyond excited to announce the successful selection of Netball Scotland’s inaugural Ambassador Programme. 15 young changemakers have been competitively selected out of nearly 67 applicants from across Scotland.

Congratulations to our 15 Young Ambassadors!

The Ambassador Programme will officially begin in April 2021 so keep an eye out for our next announcement where we will introduce you to our incredible Ambassadors, and their stories.

The Ambassadors taking part in our 1-year program will play a key role in influencing the future development of netball by identifying ways to help improve netball for young people in Scotland. They will also be encouraged to share their voice, taking what they learn back to their local clubs and local associations, inspiring local changemakers.

As part of the program Ambassadors will be involved with scheduled meetings over the year term (held virtually until government guidelines allow us to meet in person) with meetings focused on developing skills such as confidence and leadership. The programme will support each of our young Ambassadors to develop new life skills and provide them the opportunity to gain qualifications.

Finally, the team at Netball Scotland would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who applied to the Netball Scotland Ambassador Programme this year. The talent pool we had to choose from was exceptional. As a result 12 applicants were also subsequently selected to be part of the Netball Scotland Mentoring Programme. This selection will help solidify the program, being truly young person led, and is an exciting opportunity for this young group of experienced netballers who are undoubtedly the future of our sport.

We are beyond thrilled to see so many young people out there ready to make an impact and highlight the #PowerOfSport

Achieving your dreams wouldn’t be possible without the support of your loved ones. For many of us our mums and those mother figures within our lives are our number one fans, they celebrate our wins, have our backs when things get tough, commiserate, celebrate and motivate us. Every day they challenge us to be the best version of ourselves.

In honour of Mother’s Day, we asked some of our Strathclyde Sirens athletes to tell us how their mums have helped them on their road to greatness.

Cerys Cairns

“From a young age my mum always encouraged me and my sister to take part in anything active. She juggled taking me and my sister to different places most days but was always happy to be part of the journey we were both on. From driving me to training, to watching a dance show or standing at the side of the netball court cheering me on, she was always there. If it wasn’t for my mum’s support, encouragement and love I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today as an athlete. Thank you, mum, for everything!”

Lynsey Gallagher

“Mum, I cannot thank you enough for all of the love, support and encouragement you have shown me throughout the years!

For giving me both the confidence and opportunities to pursue my goals from day dot, and proving to me that ‘anything is possible’ if you work hard and never give up. Thank you for being my personal taxi driver, my very own chef and most importantly my biggest fan – the list really is endless! If it wasn’t for you mum, I certainly wouldn’t be the person and athlete I am today, and I certainly wouldn’t have achieved what I have so far in life if I didn’t have you in my corner! Thank you, mum, not only today but every day!”

Towera Vinkhumbo

“Being the 9th born out of 11 children, and all raised with equal love and care, it’s just a blessing to have a such a strong mother. Despite so many siblings and grandchildren my Mum has now, I don’t lack her presence in my daily life, she always pushed and encouraged me to achieve my goals, I cannot count how many times she has given me whatever I need during my sporting career from grassroots till now, whenever I want to quit because of the challenges I have been facing, my mum always disagrees with my decision and encouraged me to not quit.

Mum, I owe you all that I am today, I thank you for inspiring me and being my best friend, you always put a smile on my face when you call me ‘My Defender’. Happy Mother’s Day Mum.”

Emma Barrie

“I am really lucky that my mum has been so supportive throughout my netball career. She is always putting my needs before hers which I am really grateful for. If it wasn’t for all her support and dedication to driving me to training sessions and supporting me at all my matches, I wouldn’t be playing at the level I am today. Thank you, mum!”

Nicola McCleery

“I will forever be thankful to have my no.1 fan as my Mum. Through the highs, lows and everything in between, there’s one thing I know – mum will always be there to offer her support. The one who has believed in me from the beginning and continues to motivate me everyday – I thank you. If it wasn’t for you Mum, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the athlete I am today.”

Emily Nicholl

“My mum is by no means a natural athlete, as the team can attest to after seeing her feature in many of my home training videos, but she is most definitely the reason I have gone on to become an international netballer. Her incredible work ethic and passion for whatever she sets her mind to is forever an inspiration to me and are qualities I try to emulate in my own goal of being the best athlete and person I can be. From travelling across the world to watch me play weeks after a shoulder reconstruction to listening to all of my post game analysis, of which there is a lot, my mum’s unwavering support means the world to me.

Everything I am is because of my mum.”

Gia Abernethy

“Growing up with 2 sisters, all we wanted was to play netball like Mum did when she was younger. She’s always supported us, and even more so that I’m on the other side of the world playing the sport she grew up loving. Mum’s are the best and I love you Muma.”

Over the past year there has been a significant shift in the way we live our lives and participate in sport.  Many of our clubs have adapted to face to this changing landscape and are modifying the ways in which they engage with members.

This week our #PowerOfSport focus will showcase Katelyn Williamson and Victoria Shaw, Lead and Assistant Coaches from Netball Fever Junior Netball Club, who have created their own Strava Challenge in an effort to keep their members moving in lockdown.

Victoria Shaw on why the club created a Superleague Strava Challenge:

“We came up with the idea of a Strava challenge as a way of keeping our members engaged while taking a break from zoom workouts. We decided to walk the distance round all the Vitality clubs as the Vitality Superleague should be starting round this time of year.

We currently have 69 members signed up, which includes parents, coaches, and players.

It’s important for us to get people out of the house and away from their computer screens to take part in a different form of fitness.”

Katelyn Williamson on the success of their Superleague Strava Challenge:

“There were no hurdles with the set-up of this challenge and once planned it was super easy to roll-out and get participants involved.

We provisionally set out to make it round the Superleague teams within 3 weeks however our club have absolutely smashed this and made it in 9 days. Which is just evidence of the success this challenge has been! We have since increased the challenge and will now go round the Vitality Netball Teams twice completing a total of 3496km.

This challenge has benefitted everybody’s mental health within the club just by getting out and walking a few kilometres a day.”

In fact, since this interview Netball Fever have successfully completed their round trip, walking an incredible 3519.7km in 20 days!

The club are now walking into their next challenge, to walk the distance around the clubs in the Australian Suncorp Super League.

Thank you to Netball Fever, Katelyn and Victoria  for sharing their incredible story! If you or your club would like to share a #PowerOfSport story tell us here!

Inspired by netball fevers challenge? Follow their progress over on their twitter page!

After SMASHING our UK challenge 🇬🇧 we have decided to go even further and this time walk the distance round all the clubs in the Australian Suncorp Super League 🇦🇺 starting in Adelaide and ending in Perth covering a total of 7048km. Stay tuned to find out how we get on 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/17zoIEr0y8

— Netball Fever Netball Club (@FeverNetball) February 7, 2021