Our Leagues, tournaments and committees are run almost entirely by volunteers - in a huge range of capacities. Even if you have no netball experience, your skills could still be of value as you can almost undoubtedly help us with any of the following:
When I volunteered to be a Little League Netball Manager I didn’t really know what to expect. I certainly didn’t think it would transpire to be such an enjoyable and rewarding experience, or that I would be disappointed to ‘get my Saturday mornings back’ at the end of the Netball season.
I hadn’t played Netball since I was at school over 20 years ago and even then I didn’t really enjoy the game as I was the tallest girl in the class and was consequently never let play in any position other than goalkeeper! In fact, I barely remembered the rules. Thankfully, none of this really mattered, particularly as there was such good support available from the Little League Committee, SPORT Birmingham, volunteer umpires, the Coach for the weekly training sessions, and the other Managers. A lot of enthusiasm and a little bit of patience are the only skills you need at the outset – the rest can be learnt as you go along.
My main task as Manager involved selecting the team from the players available to me. All of the teams in our League consisted of 10/11 players whereas there are only 7 playing positions in Netball, so I had to ensure that everyone got a chance to play at least half a match each week. Initially it was just pot-luck and negotiation that determined which player was allocated to each position, but as the weeks progressed and I watched the team perform during games and in the weekly training sessions, it became apparent where each players' strengths lay and which positions they favoured. Other tasks included distributing the team kit at the start of the season (and collecting it in at the end), attending a monthly committee meeting and passing on information regarding match times, training sessions, tournaments etc. Keeping the players motivated and encouraging their development was easy because they responded well to my leadership and organisational skills. They quickly bonded as a team and I had massive support from the parents, who all stayed to watch the matches and attended training sessions every week, joining me in cheering the team on from the sidelines.
Most of the teams had two Managers, which spread their workload and provided cover in the event of absence/illness. I was initially managing the team on my own (due to a lack of volunteers) but as the season progressed I talked an enthusiastic parent of one of the players into helping me. I was nice to have someone to ‘talk tactics’ with and my Assistant Manager has now become a close friend. In fact, many of the parents are now friends and we have all stayed in contact even after the end of the season.
I can honestly say that I didn’t experience any problems whatsoever. I actively encouraged the players to enjoy the game, regardless of the outcome, so even when we lost a match, the team were always very sporting, congratulating their opponents and thanking the umpires - that gave me a great sense of pride. At the end of the season I was showered with gifts and cards of thanks which was lovely, but the fact that all of the players are coming back to continue playing Netball next year is enough reward for me. I have recently enrolled for some Coaching and Umpiring Courses to further develop my skills ready for the start of the new season.
Managing a Netball team has been a wonderful experience – and I look forward to doing it all again in 2004!
Jackie Boden
Manager – Amber Team
Hamstead Little League
If you think you could help do not hesitate to Contact Us, we would be pleased to hear from you - JUST A LITTLE OF YOUR TIME AND HEAPS OF ENTHUSIASM IS ALL YOU NEED!
Also free training courses are available if you'd like to get more involved. So for the most rewarding use of your spare time, become a volunteer today!
