Here is a midweek update, just to let you know a few things, and as promised recently some insights into some of our coaches.
Half term - no such thing in netball!!
Training and senior matches continue over half term, so these updates will continue! To those going away, have a great holiday! Some of our older girls will be involved in National Academy, Tri-Region, Regional training days and fitness testing over half term too! #betterneverstops! It is also final NPL trials this week and next week, so good luck to our girls in those trials too! For the younger girls, there are Elite Netball Camps that will help with skills development.
Jade, who has been coaching our U11 Tuesday session has left Leeds Athletic, so we are delighted to welcome Lucy Dudley, one of our Premier League players, who is a Level 2 coach, to lead that session.
Half term - no such thing in netball!!
Training and senior matches continue over half term, so these updates will continue! To those going away, have a great holiday! Some of our older girls will be involved in National Academy, Tri-Region, Regional training days and fitness testing over half term too! #betterneverstops! It is also final NPL trials this week and next week, so good luck to our girls in those trials too! For the younger girls, there are Elite Netball Camps that will help with skills development.
Jade, who has been coaching our U11 Tuesday session has left Leeds Athletic, so we are delighted to welcome Lucy Dudley, one of our Premier League players, who is a Level 2 coach, to lead that session.
Here's the first in a series of updates to help you get to know all the club coaches that we have. Coaching is such a key role, helping to develop our girls as netballers, athletes and as people. We are lucky to have a great team of coaches, with incredible credentials as international and elite players, coaches, and also with general life experience.
Maggie Birkinshaw generally leads our Senior Regional and our Senior WY teams, with a history of them both being at or near the top of the leagues and a reputation for developing young talent. Here is what Maggie said "Like a stick of rock, if you were to cut me in half the wording would say, I love Leeds Athletic!! and have been committed to this club for a very long time as both player and now as a coach. Like so many of our athletes I left my home town club to join LANC as even back in my day it was the only performance club in the region"
"I was lucky to play for Leeds as a youngster and transition through to seniors and without doubt I'm convinced that it was the positive atmosphere, awesome coaching and match play opportunities / competition that aided my 13 years as national team player, but right now I'm here giving a little back and want to play a positive role in giving as many girls the same opportunities that I had"
"I am going to be assisting with coaching super league at Loughborough Lightning this season, and bringing any good ideas back to Yorkshire but know this, I remain committed to Leeds, and will be prioritising training and matches wherever I can"
" I will also be assisting Anna Carter our Director of Netball with NPL, helping out at some of the training centres and sometimes at other clubs, because we need strength across Yorkshire to help drive our own LANC performance."
"I've set myself a crazy, full and busy schedule but have great player support from some of our awesome seniors, such as Kirsty, Ruth, Sarah and Rochelle and additional admin support from Mariana, Susie & Yvonne who I know are happy to take on the mantle of supporting the youngsters when I'm away"
Favourite quotes:
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK' and don't forget.....'ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN COACHES!'
Anna Carter is our Head Coach and Performance Director, alongside her day job as Director of Netball at Leeds Beckett University. Anna was previously Head Coach of Yorkshire Jets and is also involved in England National Academy as a selector. Here is what Anna said:
"I am passionate about developing performance netball in Yorkshire, even though we currently have no super-league team. I would like to develop Leeds Athletic to be one of the very best netball clubs in the country, on court and off court, and we are already up there amongst the best. Some great finishes last season across junior and seniors, incredible representation in England at various ages, in NPL and across the Regional and County/Satellite Academies,"
"Whilst Leeds Athletic is my "home" club, I will also be coaching NPL this season and running the Elite Training centres so that we try and continue to develop players in the same was as other areas with new franchises. As there is so much changing in the game, it is crucial that Yorkshire stays in line with the changes towards professionalising the game. Even at club we are trying to bring in changes that will take us in that direction. I sometimes help out at other clubs across Yorkshire, so that the standard of netball across the region is strong and so that Leeds has good competition."
"We've made a very good start to the season, and will be looking to improve that as we get more matches under our belt. I would also like to aim to do a tour to Australia in 2018, which will really set us out as a club, I expect to have information available in a couple of months time....watch this space."
Anna's favourite quote "HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN'T WORK HARD".....
Watch these updates in the coming weeks as we will gradually feature each of our coaches, and maybe some of the team who help behind the scenes!
Maggie Birkinshaw generally leads our Senior Regional and our Senior WY teams, with a history of them both being at or near the top of the leagues and a reputation for developing young talent. Here is what Maggie said "Like a stick of rock, if you were to cut me in half the wording would say, I love Leeds Athletic!! and have been committed to this club for a very long time as both player and now as a coach. Like so many of our athletes I left my home town club to join LANC as even back in my day it was the only performance club in the region"
"I was lucky to play for Leeds as a youngster and transition through to seniors and without doubt I'm convinced that it was the positive atmosphere, awesome coaching and match play opportunities / competition that aided my 13 years as national team player, but right now I'm here giving a little back and want to play a positive role in giving as many girls the same opportunities that I had"
"I am going to be assisting with coaching super league at Loughborough Lightning this season, and bringing any good ideas back to Yorkshire but know this, I remain committed to Leeds, and will be prioritising training and matches wherever I can"
" I will also be assisting Anna Carter our Director of Netball with NPL, helping out at some of the training centres and sometimes at other clubs, because we need strength across Yorkshire to help drive our own LANC performance."
"I've set myself a crazy, full and busy schedule but have great player support from some of our awesome seniors, such as Kirsty, Ruth, Sarah and Rochelle and additional admin support from Mariana, Susie & Yvonne who I know are happy to take on the mantle of supporting the youngsters when I'm away"
Favourite quotes:
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK' and don't forget.....'ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN COACHES!'
Anna Carter is our Head Coach and Performance Director, alongside her day job as Director of Netball at Leeds Beckett University. Anna was previously Head Coach of Yorkshire Jets and is also involved in England National Academy as a selector. Here is what Anna said:
"I am passionate about developing performance netball in Yorkshire, even though we currently have no super-league team. I would like to develop Leeds Athletic to be one of the very best netball clubs in the country, on court and off court, and we are already up there amongst the best. Some great finishes last season across junior and seniors, incredible representation in England at various ages, in NPL and across the Regional and County/Satellite Academies,"
"Whilst Leeds Athletic is my "home" club, I will also be coaching NPL this season and running the Elite Training centres so that we try and continue to develop players in the same was as other areas with new franchises. As there is so much changing in the game, it is crucial that Yorkshire stays in line with the changes towards professionalising the game. Even at club we are trying to bring in changes that will take us in that direction. I sometimes help out at other clubs across Yorkshire, so that the standard of netball across the region is strong and so that Leeds has good competition."
"We've made a very good start to the season, and will be looking to improve that as we get more matches under our belt. I would also like to aim to do a tour to Australia in 2018, which will really set us out as a club, I expect to have information available in a couple of months time....watch this space."
Anna's favourite quote "HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN'T WORK HARD".....
Watch these updates in the coming weeks as we will gradually feature each of our coaches, and maybe some of the team who help behind the scenes!
