England Netball Player Pathway - Mission and Objectives
England Netball is committed to setting new standards for netball, showcasing inspiring performances by outstanding players in international tournaments. It will support the Roses to achieve recognition and respect as the world’s best female sports team and prepare future Roses for the specific demands of international netball to ensure that there is an oversupply of Roses-ready players available for selection. It will develop robust talent recruitment systems and processes that allow talented players from all backgrounds to be identified and to access the pathway. It’s performance ambitions are:
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The Roses consistently beating other top-ranked nations and winning back-to-back Commonwealth Games and Netball World Cup titles
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The Roses being held in esteem for a clear, recognisable and respected ‘Roses Way’ being demonstrated daily by players on and off-court
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World-class depth of Roses-ready players in all positions, competing for places in the Roses team
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The Roses team being made up of players from a range of backgrounds and locations
For more information on the England Netball Player Pathway please click here.
Berkshire Netball aspires to be a major feeder to U15 and U17 programmes within various franchises. Berkshire Netball works particularly closely with Surrey Storm and their Performance Pathway coaches. . To achieve that goal we must develop more performance athletes who can function both individually and as a leading team. This aspiration provides the beacon to guide all Performance activity and decision- making, including the management & delivery of the identification, and development of athletes within the County Player Pathway Programmes.
The development of a leading county programme is dependent upon building a squad of athletes with depth and breadth across all positions on the court and the ability to function as individual national level athletes in a team environment.
BERKSHIRE U13 AND U15 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS SATELLITE AND COUNTY ACADEMIES)
2024/25 Trial Information to be confirmed by 30th May 2024.
GUIDANCE FOR NOMINATORS
England Netball has produced guidance for nominators which can be found by clicking here This will provide information to assist nominators to understand the attributes and characteristics required by players who are being put forward for screening/trials..
UNDER 13 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (formerly Satellite Academy)
Purpose of the programme: Learn, Love, Win - Learn the game, Love the journey, Win deep - for further details click here
Outcome of the programme: This is the first entrance into the player pathway and the focus is on individual development. The emphasis is on athletes learning how to train with decision making being a pivotal element, alongside developing resilience and skills required to play netball. Learning the game as well as loving the game with a sense of working together is essential to enhance their experiences at this early stage.
Duration and structure of training programme: September/October – May, minimum 30 hours of coaching and match play opportunities against other county U13 PDP squads
Venue/times: St Neot's School, Eversley 6.30-8.30pm fortnightly on Thursday evenings (term time only)
Programme cost: Cost of the programme £220 (TBC.) Instalment payment options available. Bursaries are available in cases of financial hardship. To apply for a bursary please click here
Number of academies: 2
Number of athletes: 20 athletes per academy
Age of athletes: U12 and U13 (Years 7 & 8 (in September)
Duration of time athletes are in programme - An athlete may spend between 6 months to 2 years at this stage.
Level of coach: England Netball Level 2 qualified coaches Coaching philosophy
Relevant competition: Under-12/Under-13 county/regional leagues, tournament and inter-school competition.
Athlete identification and selection: Initial trials will take place in (Date TBC) September 2024 and second trials later on in September in accordance with Berkshire Netball's Selection Policy
Cost of trials: £10 payable in advance
Athlete Progression: County Under-15 Player Development Programme.
UNDER 15 PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (formerly County Academy)
Purpose of the programme: Learn, Love, Win - Learn the game, Love the journey, Win deep - to find out more click here
Outcome of the programme: The emphasis remains on understanding learning how to train and compete with competition being used to consolidate game understanding, refining skills, and see improvements in decision making..
Duration and structure of training programme: September/October – May, minimum 60 hours of contact time and match play opportunities against other county U15 PDP squads
Venue/times: Wellington Health & Fitness Club, Crowthorne 6.30-8.30pm weekly on Thursday evenings (term time only)
Programme cost: Cost of the programme £320 (TBC). Instalment payment option available. Bursaries also available in cases of financial hardship. To apply please click here
Number of academies: 2
Number of athletes: 20 athletes per academy
Age of athletes: U14/U15 (Years 9 & 10 from September)
Duration of time athletes are in programme - An athlete may spend between 6 months to 2 years at this stage.
Level of coach: England Netball Level 2 qualified coaches Coaching Philosophy
Relevant competition: Under-14/Under-16 County League/Tournament or Under-14/Under-16 Regional League, inter-school competition and Under-15 School Games
Athlete identification and selection: An initial screening event will be held (Date TBC) June 2024 in accordance with Berkshire Netball's Selection Policy
Cost of attending screening: £10 payable in advance to Berkshire Netball (details on application form)
Athlete Progression: Surrey Storm U15 Academy (School Games), VNSL U17 Academy or other programmes.
(There is no automatic entry to the next stage of the player pathway. Players must be nominated by the County U15 Player Development Programme Coach or by the County Player Development Lead to trial along with others nominated by clubs and schools. If the athlete has reached their potential at County Under-15 Player Development programme it is recommended that they continue their training at club level.)
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME COACHES
We are keen to hear from coaches who have experience of working with performance athletes as well as young or inexperienced coaches who would like to gain some experience as an "apprentice" coach within the Player Pathway. Any coach who would like to get involved with Berkshire Netball's Player Development Programme should contact the County Player Development Lead, Sarah Feast, via email at berkspdp@gmail.com to express an interest. .
