Netball Wellbeing
We play netball for many reasons – to keep fit, to excel on the international stage, to keep in touch with friends, for the sheer enjoyment of exercising.
Netball NI want to ensure our members can fully enjoy every aspect of our great sport. Check out the useful resources and links below that might be useful if you are just joining a club or group as a junior, returning after a break, or you are a seasoned netballer.
Mental Health and Wellbeing for Sports
Sport NI have been working with Inspire Wellbeing to develop the Sport Wellbeing Hub, an online resource hub around Mental Health and Wellbeing for sports, which provides a fantastic range of innovative tools and resources, to help us deal with challenges we may be experiencing. These include:
- Guided self-assessment via ‘Chatbot’;
- Self-help programmes and digital intervention tools;
- Searchable ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ map;
- Wellbeing information library; and
- Video content featuring some of our sporting heroes talking about mental health.
Childline support anyone up to the age of 19 on any issue big or small – they provide a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything.
Check out their website for support, advice, and tools to help you
For sport specific support, the Child Protection in Sport Unit provides guidance and help to parents and clubs.
Pelvic Floor Health /Returning to Play after pregnancy
Netball is a high intensity sport that can put a variety of stresses on our bodies. Incontinence (‘peeing yourself’) when playing may be common but is not normal, and is something that can be addressed .
So many of our members are keen to reengage with our sport after childbirth. Whilst there are currently no national/international guidelines that standardise practice and provide framework to support health professionals working with women who wish to return to netball after having a baby, our colleagues at Athletics NI have a range of information available on their website to provide useful information to women returning to physical activity. The information here is to raise awareness of this issue, and direct you as to where you can find more information.
Our colleagues at Athletics NI have further information on returning to activity, specifically running on their website :
https://athleticsni.org/Athletes/Athlete-Health-&-Support/Female-Athlete-Health/Return-To-Running
Return to play – physical fitness
If you’re coming back to netball after a break, or just want some ideas to build up your netball fitness, follow the fitness programmes that Netball NI S&C Coach Mike Bentley has put together for club members here.
There are adaptions and progressions to ensure you can get the most out of your workout.
As always, listen to your body and don’t be afraid to take a break when you need to.
Parents in Sport
As parents of any budding netballer, you are by default a cheerleader, taxi driver, kit washer and take on many other tasks that you maybe didnt realise were involved with supporting your daughter’s participation.
Netball NI supports Parents in Sport Week, an annual campaign run by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). The campaign, which is now in its 5th year, aims to highlight the important role parents play in youth sport – from helping to keep children safe, to encouraging them to take part and stay active.
This year’s theme is ‘Let’s talk about keeping children safe in sport’ and the aim is to raise awareness amongst parents of the types of things clubs should have in place to keep children safe and how parents can get help with any concerns.
Find out more information and resources on the CPSU website.
Looking after your feet
Netballers know that our sport can be hard on our feet – blisters, ingrown nails and stubbed toes can all feature over the course of the season.
Activefeet Podiatry Clinic is a friendly, professional and affordable foot clinic in Newtownabbey. The business was started in February 2011 by Nicola Keating as a home visit podiatry service which has progressed into a busy multi-room clinic in Monkstown with expansion of a third room in early 2022.
Activefeet Podiatry Clinic is a growing team of 9 part-time HCPC registered Podiatrists , 1 Reflexologist and 3 Receptionists working 6 days per week including late nights and early mornings. They provide a range of treatments including;
– Nail cut and care
– Hard skin and corn removal
– Luxury medical pedicures
– Verruca treatment
– Ingrown toenail treatment
– Nail surgery
– Steroid injections
– Biomechanical evaluations
– Reflexology
Activefeet Podiatry Clinic are pleased to offer a discount price for all treatments for Netball NI members, with priority for Performance athletes. To book an appointment please call the clinic on 02890 369973 to speak to one of our Reception Team with the treatment code ‘NETBALLNIFEET’. All information about our treatments can be found on our website www.activefeetpodiatry.co.uk
