When Wendy Jacobsen was being assessed for her Elite Coaching Accreditation, it triggered nerves and emotions like those from a netball court long ago. “I felt like I was playing a grand final!’’ says someone who would know, as a member of four Melbourne Phoenix premiership teams before, in 2009, being part of the Vixens’ first.
Obtaining on May 26 what is Netball Australia’s second-highest coaching qualification on the six-level scale also gave the mum of three-year-old Henry the confidence that “I’m back on track, my brain’s back, I can really go into nationals with a really positive mindset and get the best out of everyone’’.
The latter reference is to Jacobsen’s role as coach of the Victorian 19/U squad contesting the National Netball Championships in Hobart in July. Thermal clothing may be required, she jokes, but one gets the feeling the 42-year-old will be, in every sense, well-equipped.
A former 19/U captain herself, Jacobsen’s latest title is as a graduate of the Netball Victoria coaching pathway. The qualified nurse took a break from combining the demands of shift work with her latter years as an elite player to join the coaching staff at the school-based Rowville Sports Academy.
Given that she stayed for more than a decade, Rowville was where Jacobsen’s grassroots involvement sprouted. She progressed along the pathway by joining what is now Netball Victoria’s Eastern Talent (formerly Zone) Academy, and held ANL assistant/development roles with both the Victorian Fury and now-defunct Flames.
In 2017, she combined Collingwood midcourt specialist duties in Suncorp Super Netball under her former Rowville colleague Kristy Keppich-Birrell with the head coaching position with Boroondara Express in the VNL’s Championship grade.
Then along came Henry - Jacobsen and her husband James’ first child.
“Since I’ve had Henry, I’ve been coaching director (at Boroondara Express), so I’m still very hands-on,’’ she says. “I just don’t have enough flexibility in my life at the moment to be a full-time coach, but I certainly get there as much as I can.’’
A full, busy life; Jacobsen’s always has been. Now: “I’m a stay-at-home mum with my three-year-old during the week, evenings are netball and weekends are cardio-thoracic nursing (at Epworth Eastern in Box Hill).’’
Her netball record, too, is imposing, the smart and speedy midcourter having first worn the navy dress at state level as an 11-year-old and risen through the ranks to become a key member of the Phoenix in what was a golden Victorian netball age.
“I was always a prepared athlete and I think that my capabilities as an athlete really help me now to see the game, to know what’s going on,'' says the former Diamonds squad member. "And also the flipside, to know the athlete side, is just such a huge advantage, I find.’’
Not only did she play with too many greats to mention - but let’s start wth Sharelle McMahon, Eloise Southby, Natasha Chokljat, Bianca Chatfield and Caitlin Thwaites - Jacobsen also learnt from the best.
As to who was the most influential of her many decorated coaches, she nominates Norma Plummer, Joyce Brown and Julie Hoornweg.
“Ooh, that’s a hard question. I think the perspective of Joyce, to know that to get the best out of your athlete you have to know the person as well as the player - that’s something that I really, really have learnt along the way,’’ she says.
“I was so, so fortunate with the coaches I had, with Norma and Julie and Joyce, it’s very hard to pick out of that bunch! And they all have that: those coaches that you remember are all ‘well-rounded’, I guess is probably the best way to describe it.
“It’s something I really strive (for) and I think even the nursing side of me, (helps me) to understand that you get the best out of people that way.’’
So. Her own coaching style?
“I’m tough but fair! Look, I am very driven by high performance behaviours and I do have a ‘no-excuses’ policy; that there’s always a way to work things out. But I also have learnt from the coaches I’ve had that I performed the best when I thought they cared about me. So it’s about finding the balance between all of those things.
“I do like hard work, and I do like high performance behaviours, but I guess that’ side of it is me as an athlete. I played with some of the greats of the game and I think you learn from them, as well. So I’m very fortunate with the background that I’ve had, and it’s nice to now progress along the coaching pathway.''
She then adds, laughing: "I think getting my elite (accreditation) has given me a real confidence boost that I - hopefully - know what I’m doing!’’
What can not be questioned is Jacobsen’s motivation. Someone who has always been a thinker is now determined to give back to the sport that has provided her with so much.
“That’s what drives me - a lot. The person I am today, a lot of the assets I have in life, are from netball, and I genuinely appreciate that, and some of my very good friends are very long-term netball people, so it’s a life that I enjoy and thrive in.’’
So. July. Chilly Hobart. Thermals. For someone who has walked in those shoes as a player, then found herself undergoing a stringent interview process from her garage during the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Jacobsen is excited by the depth of talent in the 19s group she will lead south.
“They’re just that little bit older than 17s, which I think sometimes suits my coaching style and what I want to get out of them. But also they’re often just really ready to take their game to the next level, I find, and I’ve got an exciting group, with a lot of depth, so hopefully I can help them take that next step in their game.’’
It is also the next chapter for Jacobsen, who is giving just as she received. “People that love the game stay in netball, so we’re very lucky,’’ she says. As we said, someone who would know.
Written by Linda Pearce
Netball Victoria's coaching courses can be found here.
