Monday Motivation - Spotlight on - Lockleaze Foxes Netball - #ActiveLockleaze

As part of our partnership project #ActiveLockleaze we like to feature regular posts for our Monday Motivation or Spotlight On section.

This is just one of the ways we promote physical activities and sports opportunities in Lockleaze. By sharing participants’ personal stories we aim to inspire and motivate and encourage all residents to lead more active lives.

This week we focus on Lockleaze Foxes

My name is Petra, I am an England Netball L2 coach and I run junior netball in Lockleaze.

The Lockleaze Foxes and their home ed sister team ‘‘The Wolves” are both at home at the Vench.

Since starting with very humble beginnings in 2019, we have steadily grown and have finished this season with just over 30 girls aged 12-18 playing regularly every week. An additional 10 home ed children have just joined our new group for 7-10 year olds!

What’s it like?

Fun, inclusive, friendly, nurturing!

We’ve had so much fun playing netball this season! There have been quite a few new players who have joined us after discovering how great it is to play netball and to be part of the team!

We tend to teach most skills using small sided games which is a more natural way of learning and

also helps the girls apply newly found skills in match situations on court.

Girls join us with all levels of netball experience and we are able to provide space for everyone to develop their skills at their own pace. Less experience definitely does not equate to less enjoyment of our sessions! :)

Teams are very friendly and new players usually get taken under existing players wings a bit until they find their own feet. We always like to mix it up a little when when opportunities present themselves ie - when it was hot we have been known to exchange the netball for some water balloons which is always hugely

enjoyed and in the darker winter months we throw in some glow in the dark invasion games which

are always great fun – this is usually when you can hear the girl’s laughter before you can spot them ;-) You wouldn’t think it, but even with these kinds of games the children are actually acquiring useful netball skills☺

Being part of the team!

We all love netball and a big part of running these groups is nurturing everybody’s feeling of belonging. We actively work on encouraging an inclusive and friendly atmosphere where everyone knows they are an important and valued part of the team.

For the Wolves this was easy as most of the girls had been friends since their toddler days. For Foxes we would all stay and share hot chocolate, marshmallows and cream after every training.

The hot chocolates have now been exchanged with occasional socials which the girls enjoy and which enables them to bond outside of netball. Unfortunately this season was filled with many of our girls sitting GCSEs so socials fell by the wayside somewhat, however we will most definitely be picking these up again!

So far we’ve taken teams geocaching in stoke park, we’ve roasted marshmallows at Steve England’s Fireplace in the woods (thanks Steve!), and at the vench, we’ve been camping, climbing, minigolfing, tobogganing, we’ve jumped off giant poles, swung in giant swings, and most recently been paddle boarding!

Almost half our girls are training to become umpires!

I am so thrilled to share that this year a whopping 13 girls, will be undertaking their first steps to becoming qualified England Netball umpires! Thanks to the “Back in the Game” Grant from #ActiveLockleaze, (The partnership between LNT and WESPORT) this has been fully funded for the girls. The Back in the Game fund was designed to support local sports clubs with their sport development plans and needs to provide and enhance the opportunities for children and young people.

This is such an amazing opportunity for our girls!

They are all thrilled to be receiving their whistles shortly! Undergoing umpire training will not only give them a whole new insight and knowledge to the game, it will also provide them with opportunities of developing a completely new skill set, of growing their confidence and challenging themselves, but will also be an awesome opportunity to use their new skills to be part of the greater netball family, to earn some pocket money umpiring matches, and if they take a shine to umpiring who knows where it can take them… the door of possibilities is wide open and netball umpires are definitely sought after!

Our Community!

We are so lucky to be in a neighbourhood where we people support one another. I’m so pleased that some really lovely partnerships and friendships have developed between us and other local organisations ie

● the lovely folk at Wesport who supported the initial setup and all that went with it!

● our beautiful friends at The Vench who have had a beautiful new court marked out for us, are allowing me free use of the court so I can offer sessions for free, are always so supportive (and have on more than one occasion inivited us to delicious food after training!)

● there is the fab Little Foxes Forest School who we coincidentally share our name and location with, who reached out and asked if they could support us and donated a bag of new balls to replace the old ones that had lost their grip as well as some new bibs!

● There is the great team at Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust who as part of #ActiveLockleaze have been incredibly supportive and encouraging and have funded the umpiring courses and a second bag of balls when our numbers grew.

● There is our lovely friend Kerry, the Avon Netball Development Officer who is such a wealth of knowledge of all things netball and always so willing to help or investigate things for us,

● My amazing friends and fellow coaches at TJ Saracens Juniors where I also coach and who have been so supportive to Foxes and Wolves girls and who are just the loveliest team!

● Not an organisation but totally grateful for the amazing mums who give their time to come and volunteer with the Foxes!!

Want to be involved or know more?

Just email me contact@lockleazefoxes.net or check out our website www.lockleazefoxes.net

Find us on social media:

Instagram: .instagram.com/lockleazefoxes

Facebook: facebook.com/Lockleazefoxes

Find out more and explore here; padlet.com/activelockleaze/activelockleaze