Gary Neville speaks to sister Tracey Neville about how the pressures of being England netball coach compare to football.
Sky Sports football expert Gary Neville has had his own taste of management in football since retiring from his trophy-laden playing career at Manchester United, having worked as a coach with England and had a spell as Valencia boss in La Liga.
Tracey Neville was put in charge of the national netball team in March 2015, having retired from playing the sport in 2008 and had spells in club management in between.
But how do Gary's experiences compare to Tracey's? The pair met to discuss the England netball coach's three-year plan to become the No 1-ranked team at the World Cup in 2019, with Gary asking the questions…
Major differences between club and international management?
You don't get that contact you get as a club coach. It's building relationships when you're so far away from people.
In football it's obvious why there are no central contracts, but why don't the netball national association own players and lend them back?
We moved the programme into full time in March, obviously that is when we start to facilitate the process. When players are being taken away from their clubs, their home comforts, the regions where they live, it creates challenges. Particularly when you have quite a high percentage of experienced players who have never been through that process, and have got other jobs.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
When can I expect results as an England netball fan?
I think I've always asked that about England football too! People want results tomorrow.
In football you would never afforded that level of foresight. Is there support from the national association? Short-term not important?
The board are 100 per cent behind the programme and what we're trying to achieve. There is absolutely no way we can focus on the short term. If we'd done that we wouldn't have the exposure for players to play at the World Cup in 2019.
More politics at international level?
Yes. There's always someone trying to fight what you're doing. You choose your fights. You get contention from players, coaches, clubs. The only target that is on my head is World Cup 2019.
How do the media treat netball compared to football?
The challenges of having you as a brother has prepared me for any media contentions that I could possibly have!
Gary: Because I used to get hammered all the time?
Yeah!
Gary: It wasn't me who gave the penalty away against Romania, that was Phil!
Would you call me or Phil for advice on management?
I have to pick my moment with you because I know you probably won't ring me back. I'd probably come to you for more the managerial side…
Why, after Valencia?
I'd only bring the things you've learned! I'd bring the media stuff, the contractual stuff. With Phil I'd probably go with the more social side of the sport, the interaction, being nice to people!
Did you feel left out in our family at all?
As a girl you do feel left out. It got to a point where you've got two v one in respect to the commitments that you have.
The biggest battle for me was when I was 16 and made that step up to England, my brothers were going off playing for Man United, doing something they loved doing day in day out. Playing the sport they wanted, loving the training, getting the best sports science in the world and I was literally having to get up early, ask a facility to let me in to use the sports hall, paying £40 membership at a gym, and as you know, our family always helped us financially.
We look at the support structure in football now and whatever happens there's always a future now with the things the PFA have set up. We [Netball] will get better as a sport and be able to put those supports into place for players, yet there is a point where you will make it or won't make it.
…finally Sky Sports ask was Tracey a better footballer than Gary was a netballer?
Tracey: Yes! It was difficult when I was young because women's football was not supported. I did play football. I would say I was better at football than they were at netball.
Gary: We used to go on the court in between breaks on a Monday night, I'd shoot into the net.
Tracey: The major difference for us was the exposure, day in, day out you had football throughout your childhood. And I always remember when I moved out the one channel I wasn't getting was MUTV because I could not watch a 1992 replay again!
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