Netball Scotland is thrilled to announce the continuation of the Junior Club Development Fund for the 2024-25 season, made possible through our valued partnership with Johnston Carmichael. This fund provides essential financial support to affiliated Junior Netball Clubs, allowing them to access up to £500 for critical needs related to participation, accessibility, training, and competition.

Partnership with Johnston Carmichael

The Junior Club Development Fund is a testament to the strategic partnership between Netball Scotland and Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors. This collaboration aims to foster the growth and development of netball across the nation, ensuring a sustainable future for the sport.

Quote from Martin Osler, Chief People Officer, Johnston Carmichael:

“We are pleased to support Netball Scotland in its mission to nurture talent and promote inclusivity within the sport. Our commitment to leaving a positive legacy for our people, our clients and the communities in which we work aligns perfectly with the objectives of this fund. We believe strongly in the importance of young girls and women having access to opportunities to play sport and benefit from the health, wellbeing, and life experiences this offers. We believe the Club Development Fund will make a significant difference to junior netball clubs across Scotland.”

Quote from Carol Harvey, Director of Development at Netball Scotland:

“This fund is a lifeline for many junior clubs, providing them with the resources they need to thrive. The generosity of Johnston Carmichael enables us to support the critical needs of our clubs, ensuring they can continue to develop and compete at all levels.”

What Can the Fund Be Used For?

The Junior Club Development Fund can be used to cover a variety of critical needs, including but not limited to:

• Coaching: CPD opportunities to ensure succession planning and up-skilling.
• Volunteer Training: Developing the club volunteer base through training for new and existing volunteers.
• Access to Competition: Financial assistance with travel expenses for away competitions.
• Local/Community Provision: Taster sessions to attract new participants/members.
• Additional Equipment: Enabling expansion or safer delivery of activities.
• Emergency Facility Hire: Covering emergency costs for clubs in financial difficulty.
• Mental Health Awareness Training
• Safeguarding Training

For a comprehensive list of eligible and ineligible costs, please refer to the [Junior Club Development Fund – (See Below)

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Junior Club Development Fund, clubs must meet the following criteria:

• Be affiliated to Netball Scotland.
• Work towards or have completed the Thistle Mark Standard credential.
• Be a recognised junior club under Netball Scotland.
• Provide evidence supporting their critical need for financial assistance.
• Implement the project within 6 months of receiving funding.
• Provide detailed information on the impact of the funding on members and the community.

How to Apply

Applying for the Junior Club Development Fund is straightforward. Follow these steps to submit your application:

1. Check Eligibility: Ensure your club meets the eligibility criteria.
2. Prepare Documentation: Gather necessary evidence to support your application.
3. Complete the Application Form: Fill out the application form.
4. Submit Your Application: Make sure to submit the form by June 28th, 2024.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Katelyn Williamson at Katelyn.Williamson@netballscotland.com or Carol Harvey at Carol.Harvey@netballscotland.com

Applications close on June 28th, 2024. Don’t miss this opportunity to secure vital funding for your junior netball club!

Junior Club Development Fund – Criteria

Provides emergency support fund for affiliated Junior Netball Clubs to access £500 to assist with critical needs linked to participation, accessibility, training, and competition.

This has been made possible by a partnership with Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors (www.johnstoncarmichael.com). _________________________________________________________________________________

Provided your project meets the programme aims, we can cover various areas relevant to critical need.  However, your project should add value to existing services or provision – we won’t fund costs already being incurred.

Projects should consider the financial situation of the club before applying (healthy financial situation = won’t receive funding)

Funding awarded should build on the strengths and assets already in place.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Below are some examples of what can be funded:

Coaching

Providing CPD opportunities to ensure succession planning, up-skilling people to lead in coaching roles.

Volunteer training

Develop the club volunteer base through offering training to both new and existing volunteers.

Access to competition

Financial assistance with expenses for travel to participate in away competition.

Local/community provision

Providing taster sessions within the local community to attract new participants/members.

Additional equipment

To enable expansion of activity or safer delivery of activity.

Emergency facility hire.

To cover emergency costs for clubs in financial difficulty.

Mental Health Awareness Training

Safeguarding Training

What we won’t fund

• Clubs that are financially secure
• General running costs or existing costs of your club (e.g. utility bills, staffing etc.)
• Existing activity
• Replacement of equipment provided by fund/ gifted through fund if damaged.
• Costs associated in submitting the application, (E.G paying someone to write your application for you)
• Costs benefitting an individual (E.G membership fees)
• Costs that aren’t a direct responsibility of the applicant to cover (for example, costs associated with a facility not owned/leased by the applicant)
• VAT you can recover.
• Projects where coaches or the applicant organisation is not affiliated to Netball Scotland.

Unlocking the Joy of Netball for Dundee’s Young Girls: Tayside Jets Leading the Way

Dundee is witnessing a game-changing initiative for its young girls with the rise of Tayside Jets Junior Netball Club. This vibrant club is not just about netball; it’s about instilling confidence and unleashing potential. Let’s delve into why Tayside Jets is becoming the go-to hub for aspiring netball stars in Dundee.

Bringing Netball Closer to Home

Tayside Jets was born out of a simple realisation – there was a lack of opportunities for girls to embrace netball in Dundee. The demand was there, but the avenue was missing. As one of the club members put it, “Tayside Jets gives us a chance to play the sport we love right here at home.”

Tayside Jets was one of 10 netball clubs in Scotland that successfully applied for funding from the Junior Development Fund, supported by Johnston Carmichael.

Junior club members playing netball

More Than a Sport

While the focus is on mastering the game, Tayside Jets is equally passionate about personal growth. In their words, “We’re not just learning netball; we’re learning life skills. Teamwork, discipline, and confidence – these are skills we can use beyond the court.”

A Thriving Community

Tayside Jets’ weekly training sessions, led by experienced coaches, are all about skill-building and practical application. But it’s not just about drills and practice matches. The club emphasises building a strong sense of community and fostering friendships. As one member put it, “We’re more than teammates; we’re like family.”

Girls playing netball games after training

The Road Ahead

Tayside Jet’s vision for junior netball in Dundee goes beyond the present. The club is determined to provide even more opportunities for its players. “We want to organise holiday camps and help our athletes reach their goals, like representing their district,” says one club representative.

In a world where girls need spaces to thrive and grow, Tayside Jets is proving that sports can be the answer. It’s about discovering the joy of netball, developing essential life skills, and finding a second family on the court. Tayside Jets Junior Netball Club is lighting up the path for Dundee’s young girls, setting an example for clubs far and wide. Come and be part of this extraordinary journey!

To find out more information about the club contact Eva Innes – taysidejets@outlook.com

Despite it being a cold winter Sunday morning, the energy in the Emirates Stadium was anything but dreary. Highland Fever took to court as Scotland continues to develop men’s netball around the country. Their oppositions today were the Glasgow based side, Bellahouston, who compete in Netball Scotland’s National League.

The match opens with the two teams going goal for goal. An early centre pass shows Bella struggling to land the goal but Fever equally unable to move it past the midcourt without it being intercepted. The teams remain equally matched both in agility and pace keeping the first third of the quarter incredibly tense with no room for error. With Highland Fever being called for two held balls within a few minutes the pressure rose for the men’s side but after persevering they finished the first quarter with a slight lead. 11-13.

Second quarter remained much the same but with an increased pace from both sides, Bella looking to close the gap, Fever looking to widen. The result at half time had one goal separating the two sides. 24-25.

Bellahouston took the lead for the first time in Q3 with their defensive third showing more dominance paired with some consecutive fast paced goals. Highland Fever responded immediately and over the second half of the quarter clawed back the 5 goal lead that Bella had obtained. The final two minutes saw the teams fighting for dominance but it ended neck and neck at 32-32.

With everything to play for in the final 15 minutes the teams were laser focused. Within the first 5 minutes Highland Fever took the lead. Bellahouston kept working to close the gap with some brilliant longbomb balls but they struggled to get the overturn. With only 2 minutes on the clock and 2 goals in it the volume of the benches was insane and the pace of the game electric. The game ended with a final flying goal from Highland Fever in the last 5 seconds with a finishing score of 42-45 to the men’s team.

Friendlies like these are vital for Highland Fever as their opportunities to play elsewhere increase. The team are busy organising games against other men’s teams around the country including Leeds Fury and Norfolk as well as further a field.

“We are talking to Isle of Man about possibly going down there and doing a tour there which would be really fun as we played them in the UK championships last year”

When asked about the demand of mixed and men’s netball Henrick Lessing  was hopeful for the future. “There is definitely a demand for it. A lot of clubs are seeing the benefit of men coming to play with them and using them as training partners. We want to try and get more schools and maybe unis involved, looking at mixed and men’s leagues.

“I’m chatting about setting up a men’s club in Edinburgh as there is such a demand from juniors all the way up to seniors. So hopefully it kicks it off and gets the ball rolling as its a great edition for netball”

Speaking about the team talk going into the final quarter Lessing was clear that there were still things to improve. “Dig in and cut the errors out, we made way too many errors. The guys are still trying to get used to the basic netball principles like footwork and strong passes. Hopefully these are things we can sort out and get the game flowing better”

Overall it was a successful day for Highland Fever. “It was a very good game! We’re trying different combinations which is good and we’ve got some new guys who haven’t played for us before but they pushed us all the way which was what we needed so it’s good to be put under pressure and I think the guys pulled through really well.”

For more information on Men’s and mixed netball in your area please contact our Netball Development Officers:

Marie Clark – NDOAberdeen@netballscotland.com

Grace Carson – NDOPerthkinross@netballscotland.com

Coreen Davies – NDOEdinburgh@netballscotland.com

Mhairi Patience – NDOGlasgow@netballscotland.com

Netball competitions across the country are now in full swing, but one competition that stands out amongst the rest is the Scottish Youth Cup. The Scottish Youth Cup is open to all affiliated junior clubs, with competitions across 3 different age groups: Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17. Making this competition the highlight of many young girl’s school years. Each age group competition commences with a regional first round, with the remaining rounds following a knockout format. The culmination of this competition is held as part of National Finals Day event.

The Scottish Youth Cup allows young girls from across Scotland to compete at Netball and experience competition and team spirit from a formative age. This competition allows for players who may not have a school club to continue to compete which in turn allows them to grow as players.

We spoke to Youth Cup hopefuls, St. Peters Netball Club about what they are hoping to achieve this year.

“We are lucky enough to have three teams in the cup this season, in three different age groups, U13, U15 and U17. All three teams are newly formed and working hard at training to deliver during games. We were lucky enough to have our U15 team reach the last 6 last season!

Our U13s have played their first two games and started their campaign with two wins and are looking forward to the remaining 2 matches.

Our U15s won their first match, and narrowly lost their second match so still all to play for.

Our U17s have faced really tough competition and unfortunately are yet to pick up the win, but the resilience on court has been great to see.

At St Peter’s Netball Club, we feel incredibly lucky to have such great girls within our club.  All our age groups continue to work hard learning from every game, focussing on development areas in training. Team spirit is always on show during our matches with the girls always working hard for each other. Our focus remains the same this season, give the girls as many opportunities as possible to play, working hard in training to increase skill level, build great team relationships, and most importantly have fun and love netball!!”

This year will be St. Peters third time competing in the Scottish Youth Cup.