Welsh Netball Partners with Swiss Netball to Train Netball Leaders

On Thursday 8 April, Welsh Netball hosted its first ever partnered digital netball course with Swiss Netball. The two National Governing Bodies teamed up to deliver a Netball Leaders course for young netballers in Switzerland who will one day be at the forefront of netball’s continued growth in the Alpine nation. 

The course saw 12 attendees from Swiss Netball, including Swiss Netball board members and aspiring international netballers. Nicola Stevenson led the course in partnership with Switzerland head coach, Vanessa McErlain-Naylor.

Netball Leaders, which has recently become a fully online, accessible course, aims to equip young people with the knowledge they need to begin taking a leading role within their netball club, school or community. Suitable for those aged 13+, it has proven hugely popular since its inception and many Netball Leaders graduates go onto attain formal coaching qualifications and take a leading role in delivering and growing the sport across our communities. 

This partnership means that netballers in Switzerland can now take advantage of the knowledge and skills gained on the course. It also demonstrates the fully accessible nature of the course which has great potential to grow netball communities across the European region and beyond. 

Vicki Sutton, Welsh Netball’s Community Lead said: “Netball Leaders is a hugely popular course and it is a fantastic first step on the journey towards taking on more responsibilities and leadership roles in a netball setting. The pandemic offered us an opportunity to make the course digital and that decision has been strongly vindicated through increased take-up and greater geographical access.

“It has also allowed us to partner with our friends at Swiss Netball. Hosting today’s course together not only helps us to share our knowledge and grow the game, but it also demonstrates the power of technology to bring netball communities together.”

Emma Connolly, President of Swiss Netball added: “We are delighted to partner with Welsh Netball in delivering the Netball Leaders course. This popular course was expertly delivered by tutors from both governing bodies and we certainly hope this is the beginning of a great partnership.

You can book on to an upcoming Netball Leaders course by clicking here. The course costs £35 for Welsh Netball members and is a full day, 9am-3pm.