Accelerated by the pandemic, Netball Scotland created a digital engagement plan to provide members with a new type of membership service online. Keen to ensure their members remained engaged, Netball Scotland developed a range of digital training opportunities in a bid to support their members while they weren’t able to play netball.
Keeping members active
Committed to keeping members active, for both physical and mental health benefits, Netball Scotland introduced workout and skills sessions in collaboration with Strathclyde Sirens and Netball Scotland pathway athletes.
Combining a focus on fitness and skills, the Strathclyde Sirens athletes released a series of #GetInvolved 20 minute online workouts for members to complete at home. In addition, Thistles U21 and Strathclyde Sirens U21 athletes filmed themselves every week demonstrating individual netball drills from their own training sessions to keep members’ skills sharp until they can are safely #BackOnCourt.
To keep it fresh, Netball Scotland also launched a brand-new Online Netball Camp made up of 1 hour online Zoom training sessions delivered by National and Strathclyde Sirens athletes Bethan Goodwin, Lynsey Gallagher, Lauren Tait and Gia Abernethy. The content of the sessions varied to keep it interesting and challenging and covered the principle areas of netball from shooting to footwork and defence.
Responding to the positive feedback, these training sessions were expanded to include senior club members, Bounce Back to Netball members and athletes at the University of Strathclyde. These Adult Netball Camps encouraged members to build on their netball skills from fitness to footwork and ball work and were delivered by National and Super league athlete Emily Nicholl.
Committed to supporting members, the Netball Scotland team are now creating a new suite of products for individualised pre-season training. The first of which will include an injury prevention and pre-season fitness programme focused on developing good form and building fitness. The Fit In 15 programme will launch in line with the new season and will be available to all affiliated Netball Scotland members from mid-September.
Additionally, with the increasing demand for more training opportunities, Netball Scotland have developed their ‘Level Up Programme’, a package of products to encourage clubs to get players #NetballReady ahead of team training commencing. The programme is broken down into levels with the content across the levels becoming more technical or higher intensity as the blocks progress. Encompassing fitness, netball skills, a running time trial and skill challenge per week, participants will progress through the levels and building on their fitness and netball skills along the way.
Education
As well as keeping members active, Netball Scotland also wanted to support their education workforce by running a series of online coach and umpire webinars exclusively for members. These online workshops gave members the chance to ask questions and learn from some of Scotland’s top coaches and umpires, who covered a range of subjects from ‘developing good culture in a junior environment’ to ‘effective game management’.
The team are now also establishing a new digital platform which will be available to members in the 20/21 season and will offer over 15 (full or part) qualifications, CPD opportunities and e-learning modules. By improving the accessibility and flexibility of courses, it will empower members to engage in learning in whatever way feels right for them.
Club development
Netball Scotland’s Regional Development Team have been supporting clubs to help them use this time as constructively as possible. Which is why they introduced the Club Development Series made up of 4 online workshops led by a member of the Netball Scotland Regional Management Team. Intended for actively affiliated club volunteers and committee members, each webinar is planned around a key element of club development to make sure member clubs are all ready to get #BackOnCourt when the time comes.
Initially intended as a lockdown development, the success and demand from clubs and committee members has been so positive that they will be a permanent feature of club support, with a calendar of webinars planned across the new season and beyond.
Find out more
- about Netball Scotland’s upcoming courses and webinars here
- about Netball on Sport First
