Nineteen teenagers, all members of Netball Victoria’s Western Zone academy, will complete their off-court training and athlete education requirements under South West Academy of Sport coaches.
NETBALL Victoria (NV) has teamed up with the South West Academy of Sport (SWAS) in a bid to develop the region’s emerging netballers.
Nineteen teenagers, all members of NV’s Western Zone academy, will complete their off-court training and athlete education requirements under SWAS coaches.
The partnership will ensure less travel for the young prospects but greater access to specialist coaches working with the SWAS.
SWAS boss Glenn Singleton met with NV representatives, including Western Zone academy coach Richelle McKenzie, on the weekend to finalise the partnership.
“The arrangement is SWAS will be doing all non-specific netball training and development and sport science,” Singleton said.
“We’ll be doing fitness programs, fitness testing and athlete and coach education programs. Basically what we do for all other 53 athletes on a scholarship.
“They (NV) are coming in and dovetailing their program into ours,” he said.
“As specialists we’re doing it instead of netball coaches doing something they’re not specialised in — we’ll do what we’re good at, they’ll do what they’re good at.”
Singleton said the SWAS would work with the netballers on a weekly basis. Nathan Isles will take the Warrnambool netballers while other trainers include Kathryn Clare (Terang), Lucinda Jenkins (Casterton) and Will Barber (Hamilton).
A Portland trainer is in the pipeline and sports psychologist Lisa Cuda, dietitian Marian Cornett and physiotherapist Toby Pettigrew are also involved.
“We’ll have weekly gym sessions and quarterly education sessions and we’ll have the odd fitness test in there,” Singleton said. “We’re assisting where their (NV) knowledge and resources don’t fulfil the requirements.”
Singleton said South West TAFE would be the venue for the education sessions. SWAS is one of six regional sports academies in the state that have teamed with Netball Victoria.
afawkes@fairfaxmedia.com.au
