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In the first of a series on the development of female athletes in New Zealand, Ashley Stanley discusses our two most important codes and their plans to nurture female athletes from grassroots to elite..
The change of course for the Silver Ferns in 11 months has to be one of the great sporting successes. Pure and simple.
Dame Noeline Taurua’s shot broke a code, when they were already on their knees, and rebuilt it, step by step, to reign in the world of netball again last year.
The triumphant feat left everyone wondering how they did it. What insanity does it take to go from failing to get on the podium at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to becoming world champions a year later?
Or is it not crazy, but a bit of common sense and human decency? Work and develop people. And set clear expectations around vision and goals.
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That is Taurua’s training philosophy. And it is obviously a winning recipe. If you can transform elite netball in less than a year, how can teams bottle up that goodness and share it across all levels of competition?
The values taught to the best athletes in New Zealand should be applicable to all development at all ages and stages of the sport.
There are many ideas to share on how to care for and develop people through their chosen sport, without coercing or manipulating them to win at all costs.
How does the visible rise of women’s sport around the world, and in our own backyard, leverage the success of Silver Ferns to drive its own standard of development and performance?
Athlete development is not new to sport. But it is relatively new to women in sports.
Netball has always been the dominant code for women and girls in New Zealand. But rugby is now one of the fastest growing among young women. So how do the two sports tend to develop their athletes?
Let’s take a look at netball first.
Netball New Zealand’s High Performance Director Keir Hansen says its development programs, ranging from high schools to the national team, focus on four key elements: technical, tactical, physical and hauora (well-being).
“We are also working hard to link it to Silver Ferns’ success profile, based on the PURE values of Noeline and Silver Ferns. We also want to link our player’s development with PURE, ”he says.
PURE stands for Play to Win; United, we are ready; Relentless; Explosive.
PURE values also reflect New Zealand’s unique style of play; the creative and fluid play that athletes produce when they enjoy their sport.
But elite sport has shown that the road to the top is not always straight and smooth. In netball, players can sit on playing zones, age levels, and ANZ Premiership teams, which means plenty of developmental engagements and parties to please.
It can be overwhelming. Add school, career, family, and emotions to the list, and there’s not much time left to dedicate exclusively to your sporting craft.
BRADEN FASTIER / Nelson Mail
Black Fern Kendra Cocksedge held a Christmas training camp for emerging rugby players at Trafalgar Park, Nelson.
Understanding that development needs can change over time and that improvement is always a given, Netball NZ wanted to capture the unique journey that its players experience in the game so that they can “best support you”.
“I guess we take the approach that the whole picture is multifaceted. And we have to build all of that over time, ”says Hansen, who has a background in strength and conditioning and has been working in elite sport for almost 20 years in league, rugby, High Performance Sport New Zealand and now netball.
“The thing is, once it’s built, you have to keep evolving and learn as you go about what’s important and what different things look like in player development.”
Recent work facilitated by Ernst & Young, in partnership with key groups such as the NZ Netball Players Association and Netball NZ, covers all aspects of athlete development.
“What are the unique needs from a women’s health point of view? What are the unique needs from a mental health and wellness point of view? What are the unique needs from a physical developmental standpoint? It’s something that cuts through all of those things, ”Hansen says.
The next step is to implement the recommendations. But from what Hansen saw in the studio, it takes a team to reach great heights.
“Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that the athlete’s journey is as positive as possible. From performance and well-being, as well as a good life after netball. And hopefully stay in the game in some shape or form, ”Hansen says.
“My personal driver for coming here was the iconic nature of the sport in New Zealand. And the importance of netball in our communities and for New Zealanders. I really wanted to be involved in that and hopefully add something of value. “
Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
The Black Ferns take a selfie during a training camp at Rosmini College in Takapuna earlier this year.
Giving netball a good run for its money now in New Zealand is women’s rugby, which is rapidly gaining ground with a dizzying turnout.
New Zealand will host the first Women’s Rugby World Cup in the southern hemisphere next year, and the spotlight is on Black Ferns to secure a sixth title.
But how do you develop players in a professional program that is relatively new?
The Black Ferns are the world standard in rugby and have won five World Cups without an athlete development path to nurture talent.
So imagine what they could achieve with more investment, support, and resources?
In 2018, the game of 15 became semi-professional in New Zealand and now more than 30 players are awarded contracts each year at the Black Ferns level. By comparison, the sevens team is a full-time professional organization.
John Haggart has great insight into the area of women’s development, playing two roles in New Zealand Rugby. She is one of the Black Ferns coaches and also works with the provincial unions as a female high performance development manager.
Haggart says that in the past they sought the male space for athlete development programs, but not necessarily to follow suit.
“There is a saying: ‘Women are not little men.’ And certainly the way must be open for women, largely by women, ”she says.
A lot of work has been done in the area, Haggart says, with players like Cate Sexton, head of the women’s game at NZR, and others making sure the right programs are put in place to support player growth and development.
Like netball, the programs are based on fundamental aspects such as technical, tactical, physical, nutritional, mental and personal development.
At the moment, there is a mix of Black Ferns and emerging young talents on teams across the country, both at the club and Farah Palmer Cup level.
All players are as important as the person they sit next to to the growth of the game. But there is still room for improvement in terms of offering an effective program for people at different stages of their development.
Haggart says that after just two years, it’s a work in progress. But expanding play opportunities for women would help accelerate development.
“In the women’s space, we have a narrow high-performance path. We basically have rugby clubs, the Farah Palmer Cup, high performance programs and then the Black Ferns, ”he says. “That is very narrow compared to what happens in the men’s space in rugby, so we need to grow our programs.”
A step in the right direction was the recent inclusion of high school students, for the first time, in the annual development camps organized by the NZR and NZ Barbarians earlier this month.
“As we move forward, we will review it and the idea would be how do we start to have our own women’s camps at that level? There is an absolute desire to grow women’s football, from juniors to Black Ferns, ”says Hansen, who has experience as a professional coach and teacher.
“When you see a 16-year-old playing the Farah Palmer Cup and you know that she has grown a lot more and has a lot more time, it is quite surprising.”
And what is also surprising is the opportunity to influence and shape development programs in women’s football.
Because the structure and support for high performance for women in rugby has yet to be fully established, it gives the code a chance to be nimble and take the best parts from other sports, speak with successful examples and designs and adjust development schedules with players. research and experience.
