Netball NI is registered charity and thanks to the new enthuse platform, it has never been easier to support our performance squads.
Whether you want to support your sister, aunt, coach, or friend…you can do it now, by simply clicking the link below!
Get ready for an exhilarating opportunity!
Join the dynamic team responsible for orchestrating spectacular Netball events in Northern Ireland. The call for passionate volunteers to be a part of this action-packed working group is officially open.
If you’re eager to get involved or have burning questions, reach out to Karen Rollo at executivemanager@netballni.org and be a part of the adventure!
EOI closes oct 3oth.
Netball Northern Ireland is an organisation and growing business which is ready to deliver the support that will enable the sport of Netball to flourish in Northern Ireland. It is committed to delivering services that support its members and will drive an agenda to help develop all aspects of the sport.
Our profile from finishing 8th at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 10th at the 2019 Netball World Cup has inspired an abundance of women and girls to play our sport, at all levels. To successfully capitalise on this, we need to develop capacity within our clubs and workforce to allow a quality experience of netball in all environments.
We believe volunteers have a significant and meaningful contribution to make in how we achieve our vision of becoming a Top 8 National Team, supported by a strong school, club and league foundation. Delivering World Class events is an ambition of Northern Ireland as we look to provide our Participants, pathway and national athletes with the best and most professional experience possible.
With this in mind, Netball NI is NOW RECRUITING volunteers to be part of our NNI Events Working Group.
Netball Northern Ireland is a growing sports business which is ready to deliver a strategy that will enable the sport of Netball to flourish in Northern Ireland. We are committed to delivering services that support our members and will drive an agenda to help develop all aspects of the sport with the vision of becoming a top 8 ranked team in the World Netball rankings with a strong, cohesive school and club network.
We are recruiting several roles across Northern Ireland to support coaching in local schools, both primary and secondary, community and social groups. Planning, organising and delivering appropriate netball-based activities and programmes for schools and community groups.
The posts are funded directly by the Job Start programme.
JOBSTART IS OPEN TO 16-24 YEAR OLDS.
If you are on UC, contact your Work Coach via your Journal. If you are in receipt of JSA, IS or ESA phone a Work Coach on 0300 200 7807.
If you are 16-24 years old, unemployed, not in education or training and not in receipt of benefits, phone 028 90726788.
The successful candidates will be required to attend a range of daytime, evening and occasional weekend events across Northern Ireland.
Welcome to our new Board Directors
The Summer months saw the Board undertake and complete a thorough recruitment process as they sought to strengthen the performance expertise on the Netball NI Board. We are delighted to announce, that following a successful process, the Board have appointed 2 new Directors, commencing their tenures in September 2023. Shirley McCay takes up the position of Performance Pathway Director and Roisin Murphy the role of High Performance Director.
Joining current Directors;
Helen Stirling (Chair)
Richard Bullick (co opt)
Jade Blair
Jasmine Bennett
Steven Mills
Lisa Venney
Both Directors are household names in the Northern Ireland sports arena, with extensive knowledge and experience in female, team sports across the pathways and into elite performance. Each having attended multiple European and World Championships as well as the Tokyo Olympics as either an athlete or leading the support services teams.
Shirley McCay
From 2007-2021 McCay, was part of the Senior Women’s hockey team, retiring with a record holding, 315 International caps. An inspirational athlete who has the lived experience of progressing in performance sport in NI with the understanding of the challenges and opportunities alike. This, along with her 10 years leading the Ulster Hockey talent programme for boys and girls, makes her the ideal person for Netball NI as we progress the recommendations for our performance pathway programme and infrastructure from the recent performance review.
Shirley McCay
‘‘I am delighted to join the board of Netball NI with a specific focus on performance supporting and leading on the pathway for young athletes. I hope I can add value to an already experienced Board, and am really looking forward to getting started.’
Roisin Murphy
Currently Head Physio at the centralised and professional women’s XV Irish Rugby programme at the IRFU, Murphy comes with a wealth of experience having previously led support services for the Irish Women’s Hockey team as they qualified for and competed in the Tokyo Olympics. Prior to this she was part of the inaugural management team at Strathclyde Sirens while also working with the Scottish Thistles. Having implemented strategies across each sport to ensure the holistic health of multiple athletes and teams to support elite performances, Murphy will play an integral role in the High-Performance area of the business.
Roisin Murphy
‘I am delighted to be joining the board of directors at Netball NI as a high-performance specialist. I have always had a passion for driving success of women in sport, especially in Ireland. I have followed the success a small nation like NI has had in netball on the international stage for some time, and more recently been impressed and excited by the steps forward Netball NI has made around high performance and pathway strategy. I’ve worked in Women’s sport at an elite level for many years and hope I can bring my experiences of Olympic sports and other into this role. I am very excited to see what the future holds for NI netball and be a part of the ‘strongest together’ mantra.’
Helen Stirling, Chair Netball NI
‘We were delighted with the calibre of applications we received for our vacant Board positions especially at a time with so many Board opportunities open within the sporting landscape in NI. With a need for a clear focus and drive to implement and monitor the performance recommendations, the experience of both Roisin and Shirley in these areas is a huge addition to our Board team. Their professional knowledge of the performance sporting landscape both in NI and beyond will serve to ensure we not only deliver on the recommendations but that we continue to push forward in the performance environment. I am thrilled to welcome both Shirley and Roisin to the Board and know they will enjoy being a part of the restructured NNI team.
We are sure our members join us in welcoming them and wish them well in their roles.
Notice of the annual general meeting of Netball Northern Ireland
The Affiliated Organisation must give written notice to NNI of the name/s of representatives.
This should done by registering online at here not later than 5pm on Thursday 31st August 2023
As per our Articles of Association the Netball Northern Ireland Board notifies you, with not less than 21 days’ notice, of the upcoming Annual General Meeting of the members of Netball Northern Ireland. The details of this meeting are as follows:
DOWNLOAD PROXY FORM HERE – NNI AGM 23 Proxy Form
DOWNLOAD PROPOSED MOTION/AGENDA ITEM REQUEST FORM HERE – NNI AGM 23 Proposed Motion or Agenda item
*The annual report will be issued electronically in advance of the meeting
At the meeting, members will have the opportunity to:
At the meeting, members will be asked to vote to:
Details of proxy appointment:
Members have a right to appoint a proxy under section 324 of Companies Act 2006 Article 19
Completed proxy forms should be returned to Netball Northern Ireland, either via email (executivemanager@netballni.org) or post (address below) not later than 4pm Monday 4th September 2023.
Proposed timetable:
In order to adhere to the proposed timetable, the NNI Board kindly request that aside from points of clarity, members wishing to table any agenda items or motions please do so in writing to the Executive Manager not later than 5pm on Friday 25th August 2023.
Items or questions raised on the morning that have not been received by the Executive Manager by the deadline or items that fall outside of the business of the AGM may not be dealt with at the meeting but may be responded to in a more appropriate setting.
All motions or agenda items must be sent care of the Netball Office address or by emailing Executive Manager Karen Rollo on executivemanager@netballni.org.
Netball NI Office address:
Playball
Stormont
Stormont Estate
Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3TA
Any motion should also be supported by 2 other individual members who are each eligible to vote at the AGM.
All affiliated clubs must send a minimum of 1 representative to the AGM. Any club failing to meet this requirement will be fined £25 and will not be allowed to affiliate until the fine has been paid.
All Clubs, Schools or Bodies of NNI who are not in default of membership fees due to NNI or affiliation fees, are eligible to vote at the AGM.
Affiliated Clubs members hold 3 votes and an Affiliated Schools other Body member will hold 1 vote. Every Affiliated Organisation representative must be a member of NNI and aged 18 years or over on the 1st day of January in the current year to be eligible to vote on their behalf.
The Affiliated Organisation must give written notice to NNI of the name/s of representatives.
**This should done by registering online at here not later than 5pm on Thursday 31st August 2023**
All individual members who are not in default of fees are eligible to attend and speak but are not allowed to vote unless they are representing a club, school or affiliated body.
World Netball Congress is traditionally held once every two years, coinciding with the World Cup and the World Youth Cup; the two major competition events hosted by World Netball in the four year cycle and where many of the member nations are already in attendance.
Netball NI were represented at World Netball Congress by Chair of the Netball NI Board, Helen Stirling and Executive Manager, Karen Rollo. Northern Ireland also held the proxy vote for our neighbours, Ireland Netball.
World Netball Congress is a face to face formal meeting of the members of World Netball where the World Netball Board and secretariate report on the operational and strategic objectives of the business and where key decisions are discussed and voted on by the membership.
These include; elected members of the World Netball Board, financial management, rules of the game, strategic direction, event locations etc. Sitting within the Europe Netball region, it’s important to represent the views and opinions that will not only support Northern Ireland in our growth and performance, but also that of our region as we collaborate to build a solid and sustainable structure for our sport to reach new participation and performance heights.
World Netball Congress Highlights
1. Reconnecting with those who do our roles across the world, sharing highlights and positive steps within each of our businesses and being able to offer and receive support around the challenges we are facing, which more often than not are actually very similar, if on differing scales.
2. Being selected as a ‘go to’ country to support World Netball as they launch and work through the role and remit of their charitable arm and foundation. Netball NI have been a front runner in this aspect having gone through this process following our governance review in 2014.
3. Advancing our collective performance aims with the Home Nations and creating an operational plan to deliver a new competition series with a clear event strategy and purpose to be realised.
4. Commercial meeting with key partners as we seek to grow our profile and market value products
5. Re-election of Dame Liz Nicolas President of World Netball for another 4 years.
6. Being witness to and hearing the stories of the Service Award Winners with their astounding commitment and dedication to multiple roles within our sport.
7. Seeing the joy our sport brings to so many and the lifelong friendships that have been built across athletes, coaches, administrators and officials
Changes within World Netball
1. Previous online Congress members voted to amend the articles to enable more independence on the World Netball Board. This Congress saw the approval of 2 recruited Board members, in the Finance and Athlete Director roles, Suri Bartlett and Stacey Francis-Bayman respectively.
2. Rules changes – Following a 12 month consultation process the WN Rules Advisory Panel presented proposed changes to Congress, which following an additional meeting outside of Congress for further clarity, were voted in favour by members.
3. Launch of Foundation – experienced and knowledgeable trustees were recruited who launched the foundation and have begun consultation with members to determine needs and support available.
4. Change to bid process for major events.
5. CEO is beginning process to recruit successor after 10 years in post.
Cape Town Highlights
A full day of travelling to get there is totally worth it! A vibrant, multicultural city that fully embraced hosting the World Cup, the people were friendly and extremely welcoming.
From Table Mountain to the Waterfront with Robben Island, Vineyards to Game Drives, the city and its suburbs, offer a host of activities that are affordable for visitors and give insight to the history of the region.
Having visited in the South African Winter, it was pretty chilly and wet, but thankfully on the day we took the Cable Car to the top of Table Mountain, there were clear skies and we got to experience the amazing panoramic views of the city and marina landscape below.
A trip to be remembered and one I hope to take again.
World Cup Competition Highlights
In a stadium of 5000 seats, the compact nature only enhanced the atmosphere in the main arena, which when an African team was playing took the noise to another level! Barely a seat sat in throughout those matches with singing, dancing and cheering at every pass.
Widely promoted as the most open WC for years, it really did not disappoint and while we have ultimately seen Australia take another title, the disappointment felt by those who ran them close, shows just how far the sport has come. With the largest broadcast deal for any netball event, the performances of the teams on court delivered the calibre and contest the viewers were hoping for and it was a privilege to see these athletes perform at their peak.
Next up, is the World Youth Cup being held in Gibraltar in 2025 when we hope to be cheering our NI U21’s!
In summary, World Netball Congress, like many clubs and indeed our own AGM, can be admin heavy and appear daunting with so many people in the room that you are not quite sure how things will go – but one thing that happens in all our settings, the people present love our sport and are passionate about driving it forward and helping others to see and experience all the things we love about our game.
It is hugely empowering and rewarding to be surrounded by people from all over the world who value what we all do and understand the various situations we all find ourselves in whether they be positive or challenging! Each of us have a network we call our own ‘Netball Family’, World Congress is absolutely an extension of that and a valuable one that Netball Northern Ireland will continue to attend, both to support their work and voice opinions on matters that impact us and the place of our sport in NI and the World platform.
Northern Ireland is thrilled to announce the athletes selected for the new cycle of NI Warriors Long Squad.
After a period of uncertainty while completion of the recruitment process for the new Head Coach was completed, (Read more about Sheonah Forbes, new Warriors Head Coach here) we were delighted with the response to trials. A significant number of athletes registered and left an indelible mark on the court.
The trials were designed to assess the athletes’ skills and potential thoroughly. A full day of movement, skills, and match play allowed the selection panel to evaluate the candidates’ abilities in a variety of scenarios. After careful consideration, 15 talented individuals were selected to form the core of the Northern Ireland Netball Warriors Squad. Furthermore, the opportunity to expand the squad to 18 remains open, as there are still nine registered athletes who are yet to be evaluated.
In addition to the Long Squad, a group of seven outstanding athletes has been chosen as the ‘Emerging Warriors.’ These individuals demonstrated exceptional potential during the trials and will receive specialised support through focused training sessions. The Emerging Warriors will have the opportunity to train alongside the full Warrior group, providing them with valuable experience and exposure to the highest level of play.
Northern Ireland Netball is excited about the future and the potential this talented group of athletes brings to the team as we build into a new cycle of netball and aim to perform on the world stage. With the Long Squad finalised and the possibility of expanding it in the near future, the coaching staff is optimistic about the success that lies ahead. Congratulations once again to all the athletes who have been selected, and we look forward to witnessing your growth and accomplishments on and off the court.
