REAL WOMEN PLAY NETBALL!

‘This Girl Can’ the nationwide campaign to get women and girls more active, regardless of shape, size and ability has greatly captured the public’s imagination. More and more women in Stockport are getting back into a sport they once loved or an activity which they would like to try and netball is proving to be high on their lists!

Left: The Dialstone Divas

Another success story from the ‘I Wish I’d Tried’ initiative delivered by Stockport’s Life Leisure and funded by Sport England, is the ladies weekly netball session at Life Leisure Dialstone in Offerton

The sessions started last September with just a handful of players. Netball Development Community Coach (NDCC) for England Netball,  Amy O’Brien, spotted a group of mums waiting for their children who were involved in a rhythmic gymnastics class and approached them about playing netball.

As Amy explains, this was the turning point:

“I had a chat with them and asked if we timed the netball session to coincide with the gymnastics would they come? I was delighted how many said yes and they were true to their word. The following week they all turned up and some even brought friends from work and it has just snowballed from then on”.

Amy continued:

“The emphasis of the session is fun. We do some warm up routines, followed by some skills training, shooting, defending or passing, and then some friendly matches.  Some of the ladies who were doing no exercise before have now gone on to try more new sports, quite a few of them do Zumba and Badminton together.

“I love being involved in the ‘I Wish I Tried’ scheme, all the ladies who’ve chosen to give netball a go are so enthusiastic it makes for a great session to coach.”

Katy Brown, a regular attendee said:

“Thanks to the ‘I Wish I’d Tried’ scheme over 20 ladies have taken up the opportunity to become more active. Not everyone’s there every week, but whenever anyone attends they’re guaranteed to have such a great time in a fun and active sport. We have all made new friends and we’ve even started a Facebook group called the ‘Dialstone Divas’.”

‘I Wish I’d Tried’ …

… was launched by Life Leisure who run sports and leisure facilities across Stockport, with the aim of inspiring more local people to get into sport thanks to £250k of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund.

The netball session runs every Thursday evening from 5pm to 6.30pm at Life Leisure Dialstone and at Stockport Academy opposite Life Leisure Avondale every Wednesday at 6pm. It’s just £1 per week to join in and all are welcome, you don’t have to pre book.

Ross McGuigan Adult Participation Officer at Life Leisure said:

“We are so pleased with the popularity of the sessions that we have decided to set up a second group based at Life Leisure Avondale which starts on the 3 June. The ladies are really having a lot of fun as well as improving their fitness. We would like to put on even more classes, so if you are interested come to one of the sessions and give it a try.”

To find out more about what’s on at your local Life Leisure centre, visit www.lifeleisure.net or call 0161 482 0924.