Alnwick Netball Thriving
Alnwick Juniors go Satellite
Alnwick Juniors netball club came back to training in September to a flood of 30 eager girls aged 12-16 ready to participate in the brand new Satellite Academy and junior team. The club re-formed itself over the summer with the help from the Netball Development Officer, Alnwick Sports development team and some very committed members of the community. Several meetings and discussions helped the club to develop a solid structure of its purpose and generate a strong team of volunteers and a committee.
Since the club kicked off again in September the club has gone from strength to strength attracting 67% new players while still holding onto the clubs more experienced county level players. The club has proved so popular that sessions are running on a ten week basis to allow for an intake period for new members. Each ten week block of sessions allow the coaches to deliver components of Satellite Academy training, which aims to have a focus on individual training and skill development alongside seasonal competitions. The Satellite Academy is the first step onto the England Netball Regional Excel Pathway.
Due to such popularity the club was able to submit an U14 and an U16 team into the Junior Northumberland Winter League, played on Tuesday evenings at Cramlington Sporting Club. Both teams are still currently competing in the league, which is proving to be a valuable experience for all participants.
Alnwick Juniors is now supported by North Country Leisure, who provides the club's Level 2 head coach, while also receiving reliable assistance from two further Level 2 coaches. As a result of the clubs strong partnership links with Northumberland Sport, funding was provided to three volunteers to aid them through the completion of the Netball Level 1 coaching certificate and Umpires C Award. Funding was awarded to such individuals in exchange for volunteer hours to sustain the growth and success of Alnwick Juniors Netball Club.
Alongside the re-branding of the junior club, the banner 'Alnwick Netball' was formed to restructure and improve Netball in the North Northumberland area. Under the banner of Alnwick Netball sits; Alnwick Juniors, Back to Netball and Boulmer Ladies. To strengthen the links between the netball clubs in the district, promote long term athlete development and prevent drop-out, the three clubs train back to back on Wednesday evenings between 5pm-8pm at the Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre.
Back to Netball and Boulmer Ladies are two clubs designed to meet the individual needs and abilities of girls and women aged 16 and over. Back to Netball is a new scheme generated by England Netball to attract women back into the sport who may not have played since school, stopped playing or would like to try a new activity. The Back to Netball sessions at the Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre have taken off with great success. The sessions have been running for ten weeks and have attracted over 14 dedicated players that attend the club on a flexible basis to fit in with their commitments. The club provides a gentle introduction into the sport, with sessions of an emphasis on small games, fun drills followed by court play - all with the aim of improving fitness levels, learning new skills and making friends. The national success of the Back to Netball scheme lies in its clear foundations that skill and competition don't take the lead role. Boulmer Ladies club targets ladies who are keen to train and compete, who have since driven up their participant numbers through good feeder links with Back to Netball.
