Our Stories

“M: I realised that there was a massive community element of netball that I probably didn’t notice before when I was at school, so I have a social media platform and I just randomly posted on my story one day saying ‘Hey guys I think it’d be really cool if we could get like a people of colour and black netball team together’. I made a link to a Google form to see who was interested and I got over a hundred responses. I was like, okay, there’s actually a market for this. People actually want to play. And I feel like netball is not very accessible to black women. I don’t remember playing with many black women during school, so to see that response was kind of shocking. R: I think for me personally, I see Black to Netball more than just us being here on this court every Monday, but actually bringing netball into people’s lives more than just playing the sport. Being able to show people that there are people playing at a really high standard, black women who look just like us, especially the young girls coming through, they literally look just like us. And being able to give people that opportunity to see that and see beyond Black to Netball, they can go and watch it with their friends, they can go watch it on YouTube or on Sky, or on the BBC, they can come here and watch a casual game - there are so many opportunities for netball to be a part of your life. It doesn’t have to just be Black to Netball. O: Growing up, I played netball in school and I was very good at it, but I never saw anyone like me doing it at a super high level. And there were some black women playing, but it wasn’t commonly known. If I look back, had I known, I probably would have been a lot further in my netball career because I would have gone through pathways but I literally stopped playing after school. Having representation matters so much. And I was sceptical, I won’t lie but I said let me see what this is about. This could be something special and it really has been. I love community. I love making an impact. That’s like my mission statement for life: always do something that makes an impact. And this definitely is one of those things.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

“Me and her and netball is not a good gel, because I think she thinks I don’t know what I’m talking about. I didn’t make it to her level, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. And she could be right because I think she’s evolved into such a good coach now. I admire her. Our relationship with netball, I try to only be positive with her when it comes to netball because I find that sometimes I can say things and she’ll take it the wrong way. But that’s because I’m her mum. And other people will tell her the same thing and she’ll take it differently from them. So it’s just that mum-daughter relationship. But yeah, the older she gets, the better it’s getting, I should say. I’m proud of her whether she’s playing or whether she’s not playing. She has had it rough. She’s been through some adverse stuff, but to see her on that court. Oh, God, it fills me with pride. I get really emotional, especially when she’s had a good game. Don’t get me wrong, if she’s had a bad game, I’m the first one to tell her you were shit: ‘You were absolutely shocking’. I will be the first one, but nah, she’s made me proud of the young lady she’s become. And her journey in netball hasn’t been easy, because there’s been times when she’s wanted to quit. And I’m talking from back in club, when we were pushing her at under 16 or regional or nationals. And she was like, ‘No, it’s too much mum’, she wanted to quit. But luckily she didn’t because look where she is now. I think people know better than to come near me with their negativity about my child because I am very, very protective about her. You don’t breathe on her without me going absolutely doolally. So I haven’t heard any negativity. And to be fair to her, all her DMs are positive, positive, positive. There’s kids, adults who are DM’ing her and are saying ‘You’ve just given us a new lease on life’, ‘You make me want to go play netball that I never played before, or continue playing netball’. So she’s got a really positive effect on young ladies and other ones.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

“In my primary school, before they got the money pumped into it to make it a better school, we had nothing. We had a PE teacher who wasn’t a PE specialist so netball was literally catching, throwing, passing around. So then, when she came in and was offering it as an after-school club, it was quite good stuff. It kept us all out of trouble because we were from quite a rough area as well. My entire club, my year group and that school were a lot of low-income families, split families… so it was good to give us all an outlet and to go somewhere else. It was hard though. When I went to secondary school I was still part of the netball team but then you do see the difference between you and the girls who played for a club. It was really difficult because I did really want to go to a club. And as I got older and became more and more interested in netball and developed more and more of a passion, I really wanted to go to a club. But it was so expensive: just membership fees, even for kids. You had to buy all the kit and all that stuff, season fees and then my mum would have to travel but then she had my sister as well so it made it difficult. And because the girls who were in the club were from well-off families, they didn’t like… we were friends but we weren’t friends enough that they would offer to take me anywhere. So I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere anyway. So it was quite crappy, especially when after year 11 I went into sixth form and for A-level PE if you wanted to get a good grade, you needed to do it outside of school as well. So at A level, I was capped because I wasn’t accessing a club. My PE teachers used the Pupil Premium fund to get me in a couple of training sessions so I could go get my videos, go get a game. They worked really hard for me to try and fund me to get me through. But it was just the bare minimum. Yeah, there was not much access to it back then. But being a PE teacher now I see so many more opportunities. I see the major difference between private schools and state schools and it’s just worlds apart: what people get offered and what they take through.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

“I want to say as well that the players that I watch who play for Jamaica, the Sunshine Girls, I find them incredibly inspiring and I think the journey that they’re still on, that they’ve been on over the last few years, it’s a privilege to watch, for me. When I think about Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson and Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, they’re just at the top, top, top of their game. What they did at the Commonwealth Games, when they beat Australia, it was 57-55. I remember watching that game and I was like, these girls are fucking rockstars. Like, they are. Literally. Their funding profile is completely different to an Australia or an England. And the way that they’re able to play was just really amazing to watch. And I think it’s an outrage the fact that they were having to put a GoFundMe on because they didn’t have enough money or they needed more money to help with the funding of the team. I just really think they’re so inspiring because if they can do that with the resources that they’ve had, I’m just so excited for what they’re going to do when more of this funding comes in. I would just say you need to invest in them. You need to recognise the talent that you have, and you also need to make sure that you don’t lose the spirit. The risk that potentially comes with more funding and more exposure and more infrastructure and all of those things, it’s that you lose the passion and the fun that they have. I mean, this team dance in the middle of the game; they’re constantly smiling and they just have so much fun. There’s so much spirit to their game and that can’t be lost either because I actually think that’s one of their strengths and that’s the reason why they’re so successful. So that’s what I would say as well is keep hold of yourselves on this amazing journey which obviously has already started with more funding, bigger teams, you know, all of the brilliant stuff that’s coming their way, but keep hold of that spirit and keep hold of that fun because that’s I think what also sets them apart.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

“I started coaching netball, God, many moons ago. And then I had two children, and there was no real netball club in the area. And so I just thought, okay, well, I'll just start it myself. And so I started Cherubs Angels Netball Club in 2017 with my sister, Michelle, and it's been going now for a number of years. We started it in a small dance studio with three children, and we've grown and grown and grown. We've probably got around 200 to 300 members now. My netball journey, it did come to kind of a little bit of a halt, I suppose. In 2019, I was diagnosed with stage three cancer. And I had two small children at the time. So this was, I guess, four or five years ago now. So I was 35. And yeah, I think, probably, it was a life-changing experience for myself and my family, for the club. But, to be honest, I didn't really give up any coaching or any netball at the time. And I was even more passionate about making our club the best it could be. I really remember that day [that I told the club], to be honest, because it was our end-of-season presentation. I was diagnosed in the June and then it was a couple of weeks later that we had our presentation to finish the season and celebrate such a successful season at that. So it was the adults' presentation in particular. And then, obviously, the adults that I play with they’re not just teammates, they're my friends, longtime friends as well. So it was a really difficult evening. And you just don't know what's going to happen and what the outcome is going to be when you're given that kind of news because everything's a bit of a roller coaster. To be honest, I couldn't have asked for better friends, better family, better support. My sisters, my mum and my dad, my husband, two children: they've just been amazing. But our ethos at Cherubs Angels Netball Club, is we are a family. And I know that probably sounds cliche to most netball clubs, but actually, it is a real family and I do class my Club as my family. And that got me through that difficult evening. And then the difficult times ahead of that. It's definitely changed, probably, who I am. In terms of like, I look at things differently. So I try not to take anything for granted. Although that's really difficult to do, day to day, week by week. I try and surround myself with good people, people that I want to be around. I try and make sure my kids are grateful for things, that you know, we try and live life to the full. But what I would say is, I was 35 at the time, and nobody ever thinks it's gonna happen to you that young. And it just so happened by chance that I got checked out the same day that I found it. My GP literally saved my life. And mine was really aggressive. And so within two weeks it had spread; it was ready to go. When I think had I not gone and got checked that day, I think my story would have been completely different. Netball was something that got me through that really difficult time. It's everything to me. It's everything.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

TW: Suicide “So it was years ago, my daughter was in primary school, and I wanted her to play netball at primary school, and they only had football. I played some netball, so I said I would coach the school team. And, I thought, to coach I'd probably better start playing again and someone had told me about the Friday morning at the Magnets. So I started playing to help with my coaching, but I immediately realised I really enjoyed it. They were a great bunch of women. I'm a nurse, so I could always manage my shift patterns to keep going and I hate it when you miss it. And, yeah, it’s been a real regular. My daughter carried on playing netball in secondary school. She played for Magnets then. She didn't really like the team of her own age. Seven girls in a team, it can be a difficult dynamic. So she got in with ladies netball and was in Annette’s team for a while before she went off to sixth form. And then just recently, my world fell apart a bit. I lost my daughter last year to suicide. And they've just been such a great bunch. And they honour Issy every day. Every Friday I come, they always ask. And it's given me something to look forward to. So, yeah, a very special bunch of women. And, um, it's nice. A lot of them knew Issy so it's somewhere I feel comfortable and I can be myself. I decided very early that I wasn't going to hide the suicide bit of it and be open because I just think it's got to help being open; that it's out there. Young people are killing themselves, and yeah, it's been really hard.” 𝐴𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟, 𝐼𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑎 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑅𝑢𝑔𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟. @BraveMind14 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 & 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐼𝑠𝑠𝑦'𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑚'𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡. 𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑤𝑤.𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑.𝑐𝑜.𝑢𝑘. #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball #BraveMind #KickOffTheConversation

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘊 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸. "My first thought was it's all a bit ridiculous. Having been pregnant before and always leading a very active life, I'm of the perspective that I know my body best, and I will obviously follow medical advice. I would never do anything that would be putting unnecessary risk on me or the baby. My midwife and the doctor are encouraging me to stay active and carry on playing, they were like, ‘Yep, do it, stay active, keep playing as long as you want, as long as you feel safe to do so’, which I did. It feels like they're kind of excluding me. And one of the first things I did was actually check the England Netball guidance rather than just the league one. As soon as I saw that those guidelines were different, as far as I was concerned, I was following those rather than the league's because I just don't understand why they're different. They have no need to be. I think it's probably a historic thing that just hasn't been updated. It’s a very old fashioned perspective that as soon as you fall pregnant you can't possibly do anything. I found out I was pregnant at 3 weeks. So, you can imagine at that point, there are so many variable factors. We felt very lucky that we'd fallen pregnant, but we didn't know what that pregnancy had in store for us. And to me, it was just inconceivable that I would disclose - and I know that's not explicitly what they're asking you to do - but if I suddenly rock up and say, ‘sorry, guys, I'm not playing for the next however many months, I've got this “injury” in quote marks’... People are going to absolutely know what the real reason is. And then if something were to happen in that pregnancy, which meant that I was no longer pregnant or we had difficulties etc, it would be a really difficult position to be in to then have a club of 50 people all knowing that situation when you're still trying to deal with it yourself. I think we need to trust women to make decisions about their own bodies." #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball

“Throughout my life, netball has always been something different depending on the time and place. But I’d say it’s always been an escapism for me, like being able to let go and just enjoy the game, enjoy what’s happening on court for those 60 minutes without thinking about what’s happening in the outside world. Because of my background and my family, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life. And also, a lot of ups and downs playing netball with severe injuries that stopped me from progressing higher than I always dreamed. But even though I have been able to play at those heights, and now I’m playing lower down, it’s still been a way of me blocking out life’s day-to-day problems and just be able to escape for those 60 minutes. So, I was scaling the heights of the England pathway, and then at 17, I developed sciatica. At that point, I was playing netball four or five times a week; some Saturdays, three matches in a row. And then going from that and then having to adapt my training, adapt the way I played due to my disc injury, meant that I wasn’t able to keep up with the fitness. I still had a chance of getting up there, and it’s great to see the people I did play with at 17 now playing for England and playing Super League, but that injury meant that I had to rethink. And then, therefore, netball had to be something different for me. But what I would say, continuously throughout my life of playing netball, is that it’s always been an escapism for me. Netball has always been there, especially when I’ve had dark times in my life. I’ve lost jobs, I’ve been on my own, I’ve been suicidal, I’ve also got depression. So, therefore netball gives me a chance to be me. And to just block everything out; be around a family; feel like I’m part of something and it brings me back to being. There is a purpose for me to be here.” #OurStories #NetballStories #HumansOfNetball