7 minute read
A new buzz for
A NEW BUZZ for netball England Netball explains why netball is a great sport that takes you from childhood through to adulthood and shares the idea and ethos behind its Bee Netball programme.
For many readers, netball may be remembered as a game enjoyed during their school years. Now, it is a sport in the spotlight, played and watched by thousands.
In 2018, the England Netball team inspired a nation with their historic gold medal, won in the most dramatic fashion. Since then, the sport has continued to grow and is now one of the most played female team sports in the UK.
England Netball is now working on inspiring the next generation of netballers onto court through their evolved children’s programme, Bee Netball, which as we’ll learn, does more than just teach them about the basics of the sport.
A long-lasting passion
Netball in England is a thriving sport, lived and breathed by girls and women across the country. Every day hundreds of thousands of women step onto a netball court, be at their local centre, their local club on an outdoor court or in their local school. For many, their love of the sport is something that transcends through every life stage, as it is a game that can be played by anyone from 5 to 95.
Despite difficulties experienced during the pandemic, the sport is back and is growing again. The exposure of the sport at last summer’s Commonwealth Games helped to bring netball back into the public view, as thousands of fans cheered on the defending champions in Birmingham.
Last September, the sport relaunched its Bee Netball programme, welcoming children onto court through a specially adapted version of the game, filled with fun activities, a set of ‘Beeliefs’ and bright-coloured balls and T-shirts. It is hoped through this vibrant experience that children will become drawn to the sport at an early age and taken on a journey that England Netball hopes will become a game for life.
What is Bee Netball?
Bee Netball is England Netball’s fun and nurturing programme for five- to nine-year-olds, designed to introduce children to the fundamentals of netball, while supporting their personal development.
The programme was originally introduced in 2019, a year after the sport had experienced a boom in participation following England’s Commonwealth Games victory and the hosting of the Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
Adapted from the game that many of you may have played before, Bee Netball is made up of fun activities that help children to learn the skills used in the sport including throwing, catching, footwork and shooting. More importantly, the activities help develop transferable traits that can help children in other walks of life.
Why is it called Bee Netball?
The name of the programme stems from a couple of ideas. The first comes from the natural relationship between bees and flowers. Led at the top of the game by the England Netball national team, better known as the Vitality Roses, netball, like all sports, depends on the next generation of players coming through. Bees love roses and roses need bees. Bees help roses to thrive, and in netball, it’s the next generation of aspiring bees who will be helping the Vitality Roses to thrive on the international stage.
The second comes from the nature of the insects themselves. Bees live in hives and work together as part of a colony. This sense of belonging is a feeling that is instilled among the wider netball community and is part of England Netball’s wider Adventure Strategy to develop the sport into one where people feel they can belong, flourish and soar. Bee Netball is a huge part of that as it aims to give young children an exceptional first experience in the hope that they foster a lifelong love of the sport and continue to participate at any level of the game.
Behind the buzz
Helen Wynn is the head of the participation at England Netball and one of the leaders behind the relaunch of Bee Netball. She explains: “We wanted to evolve our offering for children and make it stand out from other sports. We have seen from insight that 89% of girls don’t meet the required physical activity levels and we know from our own research that parents feel the pandemic has been a factor in this.
“During this time, we reflected on our programme and made some developments to target it more towards our core audience of five to nine years old. We have pulled together a special curriculum for the programme designed to be fun and vibrant, but also purposeful.
“We have clubs all over the country who we are working closely with on the delivery of the termly programme. We are helping to train specialised ‘Bee Leaders’ who will teach the activities to children in a fun and
engaging way while encouraging parents, interested in supporting their child, to also get involved where they would like to.
“Our philosophy is about developing the child first and the netballer second. We want to help children develop into being great communicators, being resilient and being proud rather than being able to execute the perfect chest pass. Whilst skills like this are important in netball, it’s not essential at the start of a child’s journey into our sport. We want them to have a fun and enjoyable experience.”
What are the benefits of playing netball?
Netball is predominantly played by girls and women and is one of the most popular team sports in the UK. Annually, netball is the most played sport for adult women, with almost half a million taking to court each year. Played indoors and outdoors, netball is a social sport that forges connections and it’s this reason why so many women carry on playing the sport into later life.
Bee Netball doesn’t focus on the rules of the sport, but instead, the skills and traits that make the game what it is. The programme is underpinned by a set of ‘Beeliefs’; core values that are focused on improving children’s in their own ability. These including being fair, friendly, resilient, proud and confident.
The Bee Netball sessions are led by enthusiastic Bee Leaders who are specially trained to work with children to teach the activities and ensure they have lots of fun. The programme is also available to both girls and boys, with the sport growing in the male space through the governing body’s developed partnership with the England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association.
How to get involved
Bee Netball is a termly programme made up of ten weekly sessions. To register your child for a place on your local club’s Bee Netball
programme, head to the England Netball website (englandnetball.co.uk) and visit the Bee Netball page. Here you will be able to find your local club, register your interest and click through to the England Netball membership system where you can log in or create an account for your child to join.
Before starting the programme, all children receive a special Bee Netball package, which includes a personalised T-shirt, their very own Bee netball and a Bee Netball book.
About England Netball
England Netball is the national governing body for netball. It oversees and is responsible for the strategic plan of the sport across the country. It is a not-for-profit customer-focused sport business, which aims to deliver a first-class member and participation experience.
Just over 500,000 adults and children are playing netball each week, which is helped by England Netball’s menu of varied programmes including Back to Netball, Walking Netball and Bee Netball.
The Vitality Roses, England Netball’s senior team, are currently fourth in the International Netball Federation World Rankings. For more information on Bee Netball visit:
