The Northern Zone recently hosted a Community Coach Award Workshop at Papakura Netball Centre, bringing together up to 15 coaches from across the region.
With coaches in the thick of preparing their teams for finals, the strong turnout was a fantastic reflection of their commitment to continuing to learn, develop and find new ways to support their players.
Across the workshop, coaches explored Tactical Play, Game Analysis, Mental Skills, Developing Physical Capacity and Tournament Planning, with an incredible line-up of facilitators and guest speakers sharing their knowledge and experiences.
We were especially privileged to welcome Catherine Hall, Silver Fern and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, who shared honest insights into the challenges of high-performance netball and practical tips around circle work and defence. Rob Wright, Assistant Coach of the ANZ Premiership Champion Northern Mystics and Commonwealth Games Silver Medallist with Jamaica, also challenged coaches to think differently about tactical play.
Adding to the expertise were Pete McInnes, Northern Mystics Men’s Head Coach, Netball Smart facilitators Morgan Herbst and Erikana Pederson and Tania Heap, Northern Zone Coach Lead.
The feedback from coaches was hugely positive, with comments including:
“Loved the different facilitators.”
“Loved the idea of exploring different options on attack and defence e.g the cluster, diamond and zig zag.”
“Understanding game principles, incorporating more Game Sense activities and embracing the chaos.”
“Getting players to problem-solve.”
Coaches described the workshop as fun, engaging and informative, with everyone recommending it to other coaches.
It was a great reminder that when coaches come together, share experiences and are given the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the game, everyone benefits — coaches, players and our wider netball community.
A huge ngā mihi to Papakura Netball Centre for hosting, our incredible facilitators and, most importantly, the coaches who continue to invest in their own learning and the development of their players.
