Netball Scotland Pathway: District Performance Camps – the First Step Towards National Success

Netball in Scotland has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, and much of this success can be attributed to the robust and well-structured Netball Scotland Pathway. At the heart of this pathway lies the vital role of district clubs, which are the first step for aspiring netball players to reach the national stage.

Under the guidance of Performance Director Karen Atkinson, the district clubs have seen a remarkable transformation, integrating seamlessly into the national pathway and producing a stream of talented players.

“Last year was the first time we have integrated the district programme into our national pathway,” shared Atkinson, Netball Scotland’s Performance Director. “The U15 and U17 district programmes have undergone remarkable enhancements, providing players with higher quality and more meaningful match play opportunities across the season. One of the highlights of the new district programmes has been the stand-alone finals day, where teams came together to compete in front of a crowd. This added pressure elevates the players’ performance and provides a glimpse of what the national stage holds for them.”

Netball Scotland District Finals in Edinburgh
29/04/23 
© Craig Watson

District clubs are the foundation upon which Scotland’s netballing talent is nurtured and developed. With enthusiastic coaches and dedicated volunteers, these clubs create an environment conducive to growth, fostering skills, and a passion for the sport. Netball Scotland is committed to engaging with early-pathway district programmes, making sure young athletes get the best start on their netball journey.

Netball Scotland have today announced Performance camps aimed at instilling the bench marks for District and national players while looking at game smarts.

“They are aimed at players who play at district level or aiming to play at district level in the future or are trialling for the national squads in September.  The camps will provide players with an understanding of the fundamentals that are required to progress through the Netball Scotland performance pathway.  They are at a higher intensity than general netball camps and focus on ball skills, movement, attack v defence work and game sense.”

Netball Scotland aims to embed benchmarking criteria into the district clubs, ensuring players and coaches understand the expectations set for their development. By having a clear understanding of what the national pathway requires, district clubs can tailor their training programs to enhance the fundamentals needed to progress further. This alignment between the district and national pathway creates a seamless transition for athletes.

Thanks to the dedication of coaches, volunteers, and Performance Director Karen Atkinson’s strategic vision, the integration of district programmes has elevated the quality of match play and unearthed exceptional talents. For young athletes looking to improve their skills and continue their netball journey, performance camps provide a golden opportunity to engage, upskill, and learn from the best. With benchmarking criteria in place, aspiring players and coaches have a clear roadmap for their development, ensuring they are well-prepared to embrace the challenges of the national pathway.

So, if you’re an aspiring netballer in Scotland, don’t miss the chance to be part of this incredible journey – Performance camps spaces are available to book now.

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 Scotland is delighted to announce that we have successfully appointed our first three Netball Development Officers (NDO’s) who will ensure we fulfill our commitment to investing in local communities to raise the profile of netball, increase accessibility, and create opportunities for all to participate, engage, volunteer, compete and perform in the sport of netball.

Marie Clark (Aberdeen), Rita Venermo (Edinburgh), and Eilidh McLeod (Perth & Kinross) were welcomed into the Netball Scotland Team on Wednesday 1st September 2021 and are now settling into their new roles and ready to support the return and rebuild of netball.

Natalie Cassells, National Development Manager for Local Associations & Clubs said, “The introduction of Netball Development Officers is the next big step in achieving our ambitions of strengthening the netball infrastructure to sustainably grow and create more opportunities for people to access our sport. Having people on the ground locally will accelerate netball achieving this goal and we have three fantastic, dedicated, passionate, and motivated women in these roles. Eilidh, Marie, and Rita have already started to connect and engage with their netball community and are ready to listen and support. So, whether you’re already active in our sport or looking to connect with us for the first time, get in touch with our NDO’s for support and guidance to enhance or begin your netball journey.”

These new appointments have only been made possible through collaborative work and investment from Local Associations and key partners. The Local Associations that have committed to co-funding the NDO posts to support growth and development for their clubs and communities are Aberdeen and District Netball Association, The City of Edinburgh Netball Association, and the Perth & Kinross Netball Network.

To further enhance this investment, our partners from The University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen Sports Village, The University of Edinburgh & Perth College UHI, have all invested in their local NDO. Together all partners, led by Netball Scotland, will support the Netball Development Officer to thrive and succeed with this exciting new opportunity.

Marie, Rita and Eilidh can be contacted at:

NDOAberdeen@netballscotland.com
NDOEdinburgh@netballscotland.com
NDOPerthKinross@netballscotland.com