Netball Scotland CEO Ken Hay has joined with other netballing nations to welcome the vision and plans for a new two-year cycle for the Netball World Cup.

“We believe that the game will benefit from more content, games, competition and collaboration – something that we are fully committed to in Scotland”, said Hay.

“The benefits for the global netball communities will be felt with more ways in which to see the game, and be inspired by the teams, countries and athletes on the global stage.  Along with my fellow CEOs, we can’t wait to support the evolution of the game and be part of the next era.  This aligns closely with Netball Scotland’s vision and plans for the growth of the game.”

Scottish Thistles Head Coach and Performance Director Kath Tetley feels strongly about the growth of the game and the performance development that the new plans for events and competitions bring to the game.

“I am thrilled for the players and fans of netball.  More netball brings more opportunities and for the next generation of Scottish Thistles coming through the pathway – this is a great innovation. As a proud coach and passionate fan of our game globally – I could not be happier”, said Tetley.

“The key to success for teams and indiv

iduals is the chance to apply their skills and we work incredibly hard to find ways in which to give ourselves as much international competition as possible – now we can come together globally, more regularly, which strengthens all regions, players and umpires world-wide.”

See the full World Netball media release below:

World Netball (WN) Announces Biennial Netball World Cup (NWC) and Inaugural Men’s NWC.

In a significant announcement, Netball Scotland has confirmed the resignation of Karen Atkinson, the Performance Director who has been instrumental in shaping the future of Scottish netball.

A Legacy of Growth and Development

Karen’s leadership over the last four and a half years has revolutionised Netball Scotland’s performance strategies. The remarkable growth of the performance programme and pathways under her guidance is a hallmark of her tenure.

Reflections from Karen Atkinson

Karen shares her heartfelt thoughts on leaving, emphasising the collective effort in elevating Netball Scotland’s status. Her journey, marked by strategic development and collaborative success, sets a high benchmark for future leadership.

“It is with a heavy heart that I leave my role as Performance Director at Netball Scotland. I have thoroughly enjoyed my four and a half years working with the governing body and leading the performance strategy. The performance programme and the pathway have grown and developed beyond recognition, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Netball Scotland staff, the Performance team, Scottish Institute of Sport support staff, volunteer coaches, and all the athletes involved. It has been a pleasure to work with all the staff, stakeholders, and athletes to raise the standards and provide Scotland with a solid foundation by which they can continue to grow.”

Commendations from Netball Scotland Leadership

Lucy Faulkner, Chair of Netball Scotland says, “It’s always sad when we lose treasured members of staff and Karen leaving is a tough one. We are so grateful to Karen for sharing her powerful vision for what we could achieve and for putting strong foundations in place so we can continue to work towards this vision.  A consummate professional, who has delivered with pride and passion to inspire so many people to believe they can be even better in our sport,  I wish Karen good luck and wish her well in her new role.”

Ken Hay, Interim CEO says, “Karen has been an invaluable asset to Netball Scotland, bringing expertise, passion, and a deep commitment to the sport. Her efforts have left an indelible mark on the sport in Scotland, setting a high standard for future endeavours. On behalf of the whole team, we express our deepest gratitude to Karen for her tireless dedication and significant contributions to Netball Scotland. Her legacy will undoubtedly inspire future generations within Scottish netball.”

Their testimonials highlight her visionary approach and the lasting impact of her contributions.

Moving Forward

Karen’s resignation comes in the wake of her international relocation and a shift towards balancing her professional career with family life. Her new venture, while away from netball, promises to continue her trajectory of excellence and innovation.

Karen Atkinson’s tenure at Netball Scotland will be remembered as a transformative era. As she embarks on new challenges, the organisation and its members look forward to building upon the strong foundations she has laid.

Netball Scotland is delighted to announce the promotion of Karen Atkinson into the new role of Performance Director. Karen joined the organisation two years ago as Technical Director for Strathclyde Sirens and in that time has developed one of the most professional and effective training programmes in the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) which resulted in the team achieving its best-ever season result since joining the League back in 2017. Despite leading the Sirens team on match days this season, behind the scenes Karen has been working with the Netball Scotland Performance Team, including new Scottish Thistles Head Coach Tamsin Greenway, to develop an enhanced performance pathway and programme for Scotland which she will now strategically lead for the organisation.

Karen says of her new role: “I am excited about the prospect of taking the knowledge I have gained through many years of working within a variety of high-performance sporting systems and applying it to the challenges and opportunities we have in Scotland. There is so much untapped potential in this country that simply needs the right environment, support and programme to thrive. Being able to work with and empower quality people such as Thistles Head Coach, Tamsin Greenway and Sirens Head Coach, Lesley MacDonald, only makes this opportunity more exciting. I am looking forward to working with them, to thinking creatively and to moving our International and VNSL programmes forward”.

Karen’s appointment to Performance Director comes after the implementation of a full organisational review and restructure as a result of COVID which included the successful recruitment of a new COO, Stephanie Karvelis, who starts in post today. CEO, Claire Nelson, is excited by this injection of expertise into the Executive leadership team and believes that Karen can lead Scotland’s performance programme and pathway to the next level: “Karen has more than proved what she can do in terms of developing high performing programmes, attracting talent and empowering players and coaches to realise their potential. Now I want to empower her to do this on a national scale for us, building a powerful, effective and sustainable programme that enables Scotland to achieve our ambitions both domestically in the Superleague as a professional Club and on the world stage where we have set ourselves some challenging targets.

I believe that Karen Atkinson is one of the best Coaches and strategic minds in our sport and together we are building one of the strongest high-performance coaching teams in world netball because we believe in, and are investing in, Scotland’s future on the court. Her appointment to PD feels like a really natural evolution of her role at a really critical time for the organisation. I’ve seen her plans and cannot wait to see what she and the Performance Team deliver over the coming seasons.