Sisters plan ahead

DEVELOPMENT is the lifeblood of any sport and netball is no different. The Guernsey Netball Association will soon be advertising the position of development officer, but even with such a person in place, other coaches and volunteers are still essential to the future of the sport. The work done by people such as sisters Lisa Magna and Michelle Rogers is invaluable.

They are now in their third season of running coaching sessions for minis every Thursday evening at Beau Sejour throughout the season during which they teach children the basics of the game and provide them with a base from which they will want to continue in the sport.

'Girls and boys from seven to 11 years old are welcome and we are quite flexible.

'If younger children want to come along and are confident enough to take part, then we will not turn them away.

'Likewise, we get some children who have just gone into secondary school but cannot go to a club yet and want more netball out of school and it is nice to provide it for them,' said Magna.

Both sisters are qualified, with Magna having recently taken the level-two course, and they work with groups in excess of 20 children.

'We do a warm-up, then do skills development and then a mini game,' Magna said.

'If there are children who do not feel confident to play in a game, we take some away to another part of the court and continue with the skills development or do a scaled-down ball game where they can learn the basics.

'If we get 20 children all wanting to play a game and you can have only 14 on court at one time, we ensure that everybody gets an opportunity to take part.

'We basically work with the children on what they prefer to do,' she said.

The sisters obviously enjoy being involved with the development of the youngsters and get satisfaction from seeing them progress.

'It is lovely to see the children playing, especially when they come back for another season, because it shows that we have not put them off and they are gaining an insight into the sport.

'Some then go on and join a club and that gives a lot of satisfaction to both the children and us,' Magna said.

* The minis coaching sessions on Thursdays are held from

6-7pm on the outdoor courts at Beau Sejour.