Maddy knows her way around the netball court, having officially been the Coaching Coordinator of Newport Power for the last two years. To her though, she feels she’s filled the role for the last decade.
“I’ve always just been there helping out. It’s my job to oversee all the junior coaches and all the Net Set Go coaches we’ve got to help them be the best that they can,
“It also helps my management skills and learning how to co-ordinate, deal with people and organise large groups.
“I know the impact coaching can have from personal experience so now I want to give back to other new coaches so they can share the positive experiences.”
Having a name for herself in her local community, Maddy was introduced to the idea of becoming a coach for Sporting Schools just under a year ago.
“A mutual friend of mine in the netball community thought that I had the skills and the motivation and passion and thought I should give it a go so she put me in contact with them.”
Sporting Schools provides school students with the opportunity to experience Suncorp NetSetGO and Fast5 netball programs in their school environment.
Maddy believes the initiative is a valuable stepping stones for young players to be exposed to such an inclusive sport from the comfort of their school
“I absolutely love getting out there with kids who have never even picked up a netball and sometimes don’t have to opportunity to,
“I know there’s a lot of communities where it’s not necessarily in their culture or necessarily something where options are the easiest for them to partake in netball,
“Being able to give them that opportunity at school and being able to facilitate to actually get them started can start the fire and passion for them to play.”
Sporting Schools NetSetGO program runs in local Primary Schools. Maddy has found teaching introductory netball through this program to be one of the most rewarding achievements in her time as a coach.
“My favourite part about NetSetGO is seeing the kids who in the first week rock up holding mum and dad’s hands,
“Then 16 weeks late run away from their parents so excited to play netball then refuse to leave because they’re having so much fun and feel confident and included in the group,
“They lose this fear. They just want to be out there to learn, to improve.”
In a trip down memory lane, Maddy recently had the opportunity to take her coaching capabilities to her very own Primary School to give back to the community that helped her to prosper as a netballer.
“Some of the kids there I’ve never met before. It’s the next generation of kids and going back to my old stomping ground and being able to give back to the people who helped me grow up was so amazing.”
Maddy emphasised that, despite connotations of netball still being a girls’ sport, her experience as a Sporting Schools Coach has proved this wrong.
“It’s for everyone! It’s for boys and girls! Being part of such a big club and massive community like Newport, you see so many boys coming through who sit on the sidelines say ‘well netball is just my sisters sport’,
“That’s where you really have to go no. We have about 10-15 boys at the moment and its phenomenal to see boys partake and have a blast, it’s all we can ask for.”
Choosing to partake as a Sporting Schools Coach, Maddy says, is one of the best steps a coach or mentor in netball can take and she can’t wait to see more people take the role on.
“Get involved! Get in there helping out!
“It’s the most rewarding thing, you learn so much about yourself and are also able to give back to the clubs that have not only helped you as a junior but have shaped you as a young person.”
For more information, to register your school or become a coach, please visit the Sporting Schools website https://sportingschools.gov.au/Sports/Netball-Australia
