Interview with Priory Thunder!
BACK TO THE FUTURE.........NETBALL STYLE
We have all heard a lot about the Back to Netball Programme but what’s it like taking the plunge and setting up a team in the league. Michelle Logan the Captain of Priory Thunder, who have just completed their first season in the Bedford League, told me all about it.
Michelle is a nurse, pretty much full time, with a family of 4 – 2 boys and 2 girls so plenty to keep her occupied before she took up netball again!! Like most of us she had played at school then for a local league in Wellingborough but it had been some years since she had played.
“I would never have got back into netball without the Back to Netball Programme” Michelle said. I saw the advertisement in the local paper and decided to go along. “I went on my own said Michelle and I sat in the car and thought if they were all about 16 years old I would go home!” But there was a good mix of people and so she braved it!
“I wouldn’t change the programme at all” Michelle said, “the coaches were excellent and covered all the skill levels and I would just liked it to have lasted longer!”.
With encouragement from the coaches Michelle and some of the other girls joined in the summer league and from there put a team in the 4th Division of the Bedford League.
“Our first season went really well” says Michelle – “yes ok we did get thrashed to start with and then we contacted Alison Brightman from the Back to Netball programme and she put us in touch with a coach, Sam Mead, who really helped us and is still with us”.
They all decided to play in black for the first season – together with their Back to Netball tee shirts, and saved up for a new set of kit. Like most teams finance was an issue, especially when you are first starting up. This year however their hard work has paid off and they will be sponsored by a firm from Watford – Martindale Roofers.
“Team selection was one of my main challenges” says Michelle “and a lot of the time we had a squad system which seemed to work quite well, ensuring we always had enough players and everyone got a game”. They paid their subs per quarter played which seemed a great idea to me.
Michelle’s family have been really supportive of her new venture although she does confess their first reaction to the idea was “hilarious”. Hockey is the main sport for the rest of the family although daughter Jess does play netball occasionally.
Michelle is now going for her first umpiring award and is finding this quite demanding in terms of time in addition to her playing and training commitments. “Umpires were so helpful to us in our first season and I am looking forward to being able to return the compliment and do some swaps for next season”.
As a new team last season Michelle needed advice from time to time and found all the help she needed from the local league committee and her advice to anyone thinking of getting Back To Netball is “Go for it” “It was great fun and there’s loads of support out there”.
The team have pretty much stayed together – a couple of the girls are off to Uni but they have found replacements and are all set for September 09. For next season the objective is to win more matches and who knows get promotion. “I really want to thank all my team members – they made being Captain an easy task – they were so dependable and supportive”.
“So how do you feel about netball now you are really back into it” I asked – without hesitation she replied “Obsessed”!
