I admit when I first saw Walking Netball showcased at Super Saturday back in 2016, I didn’t feel it lent itself to being a spectator sport and couldn’t see its attraction as a participation sport either. Therefore, it was only really to pad out my coaching CV that I booked myself onto a Walking Netball Hosts course in September of that year. However, the day was a revelation. Once you understand why Walking Netball was set up and who it is aimed at, it suddenly makes total sense. You need to throw away your coaches hat and remember what Walking Netball is all about. It isn’t about winning matches. It is about the mental and physical wellbeing of those taking part and getting some ladies out of the house who might otherwise have felt isolated and allowing them to make new friends. Forget about rules and regulations of normal 7 a side netball. It’s about creating a safe, convivial and fun environment so that every lady that steps through the door is made to feel welcome irrespective of age, size or ability. You need to be the “Hostess with the Most-ess”; warm, compassionate, friendly, a good listener, with plenty to say and a good sense of humour. Your aim is that everyone who attends the session leaves feeling upbeat, energised and looking forward to next week. I totally bought into the ethos of Walking Netball and absolutely loved it. I came away from the course buzzing and couldn’t wait to host some sessions.
Fast forward to February of this year and after much communication between myself, Age UK, Leicestershire County Netball and the Leisure Centre in Hinckley I was delighted when an initial block of 6 sessions were secured. I was nervous on the first night; worried that I wasn’t going to pitch it right and people wouldn’t enjoy it, worried that someone would fall over and worried that no one would turn up. My fears on lack of numbers were dismissed pretty quickly as 26 ladies arrived which in itself presented a problem with only having half a court for the first part of the session whilst trampolining equipment was cleared. However, all worked out well and the ladies went away beaming. After 6 weeks, my numbers have levelled out at approximately 16 per week which is a perfect.
I have witnessed first hand that Walking Netball is able to offer the same level of enjoyment to those taking part as a standard netball game gives to others. My ladies ages vary from 40 to 74. Watching the sheer joy they are getting from the sessions and listening to what they have to say about them is one of the most rewarding things I have done for a long time: “It’s surprisingly competitive but very enjoyable, I love it!”; “I never thought I’d be doing this again, I last played in 1968!!”; “Not only is it a wonderful physical activity, but the warm up exercises also encourage quick thinking and so it’s good for the brain too”; “I have had both knees replaced and Walking Netball has improved my mobility and given me something to look forward to on a Tuesday night”; “Over the recent years sport for older men have been at the forefront, such as Walking Football, so it’s good that there is finally something for the ladies out there”. The good news for my Hinckley Wigglers is that Age UK have agreed to continue to support these sessions so we can look forward to this becoming a permanent Tuesday night fixture. With more enquiries coming in all the time, I am now working with Warwickshire County Netball and will be starting some sessions on a Thursday night in Rugby and I am hoping this group will be every bit as successful Hinckley.
The key to what makes Walking Netball so much fun is that is is non competitive and if you drop a ball, miss a shot or do footwork, it just doesn’t matter. Laughter is definitely a huge part of Walking Netball too and you will also get a surprisingly good workout – laughing and walking for an hour is exhausting! It’s been a huge learning curve for me as a Host too. I take my lead from what the ladies want and I am sure that each group will be a little different. Having now run some sessions, I have gone from being a sceptic to a total convert and am convinced that Walking Netball has a perfect place in the amongst the variations of netball that are available for all ages and abilities which ensures our sport is totally inclusive for all.