"I’ve had to re-invent netball skills and drills to work for one person because not everyone is in isolation with someone who can assist them," - Melissa Bessell, Severn Stars.
Wednesday 8 April 2020 19:36, UK
Vitality Netball Superleague head coaches lift the lid on how they are leading and supporting their players, as well as working to maintain skills and fitness levels, during these challenging times.
With just three rounds and two matches having taken place before the competition's suspension, there's a lot of domestic netball still to be played in 2020, if possible.
Right now, no one knows when that might be or in what format the competition might take and at the same time, Superleague franchises are facing different current realities depending on their circumstances.
Manchester Thunder and Surrey Storm have both announced that they have taken up government support and have furloughed their players and staff. For them, that has brought about a very different situation to those who haven't gone down that route, as Karen Greig revealed.
"It's difficult really because you obviously still want to be in touch with the players to see how they are and how they are coping with it both mentally and physically," she said to Sky Sports.
"Unless players just want to pick up the phone and to have a general chat, we're not able to work along training lines.
"We've prepared them as best as we can and we've just got to trust that whilst they're at home, that they'll be doing as much training as possible," Greig added.
For others, training is continuing to happen as larger groups together and head coaches have decided to maintain their usual training times to not disrupt the schedules of players, especially any who are key workers.
"We train every Tuesday and Thursday and we have S&C on Wednesdays," Melissa Bessell, Severn Stars' head coach shared.
"I've tried to keep it as normal as possible. I think the hardest thing is being able to get everyone on the technology at the same time!
"When you feel a little bit low, and nothing against my family who I see every day, but when you see all of the girls it's really nice. It's inspiring. My husband loves it because he says, as soon as I finish training I'm bouncing around the house."
Innovation has been key for all due to individual players' circumstances being wide-ranging - from those with outdoor space and family members to assist them, to those living alone in flats or apartments with limited room. This is something that's both stretched and motivated Bessell.
"One thing I will say is that I do like a challenge and boy this is certainly a big challenge. Half of my lounge has been converted into a gym," she said.
"Thank goodness I've got these new whiteboard things that you can rip off and stick on the wall!
"I've had to re-invent netball skills and drills to work for one person because not everyone is in isolation with someone who can assist them," she added.
"It took us a while to work out what everyone has [equipment and space wise]. One of my shooters didn't have a post where she has gone to spend this time, so it took 10 days for a post to be delivered to her.
"We've had to find boxes and bins and if you haven't got that, plastic bags. Everyone has a broom as an example so we've converted their booms into a training tool.
"The most important thing for me is players' safety. I've said to them don't go outside and don't do anything… I've been trying to give them programmes that keep them indoors.
"When they've been able to go outside and go for a run, they can. But if they can't, then they just do everything inside. For me as their coach, keeping them safe and well is paramount."
We’re making sure that they’re doing right thing by staying at home and are trying to ensure that they’re still feeling really supported by the club. It’s a genuine passion of mine to be supportive of my players and I care about my players and it’s even more important to be able to do that at the moment.
Samantha Bird, head coach of London Pulse, is seeing her players on a daily basis with evening welfare calls alongside a set training session each day. Pulse's players who went back to New Zealand to be with their families are doing the same sessions and sharing their videos back via WhatsApp.
For Bird and Bessell, managing players' worries about match fitness is something that they're both having to handle.
"Players are concerned," Bird said. "So, what we've said to them is to have some short, medium and long term goals given that we don't exactly know what's going to happen [with the league resumption].
"From my point of view as a coach, I'm trying to keep my girls on track and just to be positive and think about some light at the end of the tunnel to aim for," Bessell shared.
With regard to the season's resumption and the format that it might take, the Vitality Netball Superleague board and all franchises will be having a meeting in mid-April. The competition's current period of suspension runs until April 30, however with the global situation it would be fair to assume that netball may not be played during May either.
Both Bessell and Bird are working towards the premise that their players will need to hit the ground running when it comes down to it.
"I think that the competition is going to be different when it does, hopefully get back on track," Stars' head coach said.
"I've said to the girls that we have to be ready. When they say, 'Right this is it…', I don't think they're going to give us a couple of weeks to settle back in. It's just going to be, 'Right it's on,'.
"If there's any chance of resurrecting any type of league or competition, I think we've got to be prepared to pretty much hit the ground running because revenue is important, fan bases are important," Bird said.
"I just don't think that we'd have the luxury of saying, here's a three-week training period before starting again. We'd need to take lots of other things into account which is why the S&C programmes that players are following now will be really important.
"You always want the league to be able to run as is planned but whether that is going to be possible, we'll have to wait and see," Bird said. "It's a really challenging time at the moment and the priority is everyone's safety and health.
"I think most people would say that they would like the season to run as a 'pure season' but it depends how long the social distancing and isolation measures carry on.
"Also, whether that has a knock on effect on international competition, the start of next season and what position clubs are in financially. There are still quite a lot of unknown elements."
With discussions and decisions regarding the season's resumption still to be had, for the time being Superleague franchises, their coaches and players, will continue to do what they can to maintain their fitness and stick together as teams.
For Thunder and Storm, training together isn't something that they will be doing but supporting each other as people will be paramount.
At this time, being a part of a team environment is something that can provide great comfort and having the support of a wider netball community will hopefully assist everyone in navigating their way through these challenging and unsettling times.
