Performance Develoment – East Essex Netball

England Netball Player Pathway

Player Development Programme

Key Dates coming up:

East Essex Player Development Programme Screening 2024-25

First Trials – U15 and U13 – Saturday 6^th July – Highwoods Sports Centre (Gilberd School) Colchester

Second Trials – U15 and U13 – Saturday 31^st August 2024 – Highwoods Sports Centre (Gilberd School) Colchester

Screening for U13/U15 athletes for East Essex Player Development Programmes 2024

U13 – Year 7/8 will take place on the morning of the 6^th July 2024 – register 9.30am

U15 – Year 9/10 will take place on 6th^th July 2024 from 10am onwards – register 1pm

Closing date for nominations from clubs is 17^th May 2024

All nominated athletes who have returned their registration forms by the required closing date of 24^th May 2024 will be notified with details of time to attend and what to bring along with them.

Successful athletes from the first trial will then be invited to attend the second trial on 31^st August 2024

Please see nomination (clubs only) and registration forms (nominated athletes only) below

Nomination Criteria Information:

Nomination is through Netball Clubs only and athletes will need to be competing in club competition and they must be members of England Netball. We do not accept nominations from schools, parents or other individuals to nominate athletes. Schools should contact the County Player Development Manager if they have any questions. All member clubs within the East Essex netball family will receive notification of the screening.

Clubs that are within other County Netball Associations, can nominate athletes to the East Essex screening, again, athletes will need to be competing in club competition and should be a member of England Netball and can be found on the Engage system. Please note if an athlete, from another county is successful in gaining a place on an East Essex PDP, they will have to become a member of the East Essex County Netball Association via Engage, to be eligible for their place.

The number of participants per PDP will be a minimum 20. We would ask that club coaches really consider carefully before nominating athletes. So, as well as having the skills required that the athlete, their parents and the club will have the commitment required to fully participate in the programme.

Athletes currently in the county system will be automatically invited to the screening if still eligible and with the Head Coaches approval, so clubs will not need to renominate them. This obviously excludes those that are moving into Year 11, as the PDP criteria only goes to Year 10. Please do take note of the training day and times and consider other options if this is likely to be an issue as mentioned above.

Clubs and Coaches please could we ask that you ensure the athletes you nominate and their parents are committed to the programme and sessions. We have had an unusual number of absences this last season that we have not experienced before and are going to apply a more stringent deselection process next season and we will notify the club as well if they are at risk of deselection so you can support us as well by highlighting their non-attendance reflects on the club.

Also, as athletes are now able to trial for any County as of this year, there may be other County PDPs that might suit clubs and athletes better and that does not impact on club/school/other sport commitments. All Counties should be updating their websites to inform clubs, parents and athletes of screening dates and when training sessions will be. Obviously, the franchises also have training opportunities for U13/15 athletes but please do be aware of the distinction between accredited and unaccredited provision and what is part of the England Netball accredited programme and what is not.

We just want to be clear on our expectations so that you can consider the choices that are open to you as a club, coach, parent and athlete.

As in previous years, athletes currently in the county system will be automatically invited to the screening, those that have been deselected will need to be renominated by the club, if they think it appropriate and the athlete and parent will fully embrace the programme.

This obviously excludes those that are moving into Year 11, as the PDP criteria only goes to Year 10. But, please do take note of the training day and times and consider other options if this is likely to be an issue as mentioned above.

Again, we know sessions can be an issue for some clubs and athletes, but we do expect those selected to prioritise PDP training over regular club match commitments/school commitments or other sports commitments. If this is likely to be an issue for your club or athletes, please can we ask you to take this into consideration when nominating U13/15 athletes. This also applies to those who are already in the system and are going forward for their second year of trials.

Athlete Nominator Guidance – These guidelines provide information to assist coaches when making decisions for nominating athletes for County Under-15 and Under-13 Player Development Programme Screening.

Athlete identification and selection

Each County Netball Association has their own open, fair, transparent and year-round screening and selection process in line with the England Netball Screening and Selection Policy to identify athletes who are having the ‘potential’ to achieve the skills outlined in the Roses Development Framework.

If an athlete is nominated by a club during the season, they can be screened and considered for County Player Development programme by 31st March 2025.

The Netball Athlete Performance Identification Policy 23-24, will be used at the East Essex Screening events, so for those nominated please take note of the selection criteria and what will be required from the athletes.

Please read all the information below before nominating athletes and ensure they are aware of the commitment required.

Nomination forms for U13/U15 East Essex Screening 24-25 – These forms will only be accepted from club coaches and the athletes they nominate.

Nomination Forms

Nomination Guidance

Purpose of the programme: Learn, Love, Win

Learn the game: We will help the athletes extend their knowledge of the game and develop strategies on how to effectively outwit opponents. We will create an environment of uninhibited curiosity, one that encourages autonomous and independent thinkers who can lead themselves and champion the improvement of others. Our coaching is focused on achieving Technical Excellence, Tactical Superiority, Psychological Edge and achieving our Physical Potential.

Love the journey: We want all athletes to receive a positive experience of the game of netball no matter where they are on the pathway, fostering a life-long love of the game. The athletes should enjoy what they do, and feel encouraged, supported, and motivated. We will prioritise the unique individuality of each athlete, embracing challenges and new experiences together as we help them develop a limitless belief in themselves. We have a desire to go beyond what’s possible.

Win deep: We plan, prepare, and play to win but it is not our only purpose. Winning deep is the sum of Learning the game and loving the journey. There is a richness in Winning deep because of the challenge, chaos and commitment that play a part in it. We have a deeper connection to winning and going beyond what’s possible because we are driven by our purpose to inspire our communities and the nation.

Outcome of the programme:

ALL player pathway programmes will provide appropriate on and off court support for all to achieve the development standards necessary for next stage of the player pathway, that is outlined in the Roses Development Framework on the England Netball website.

Under 13 – This is the first entrance into the player pathway and the focus is on individual development. The emphasis is on athletes learning how to train with decision making being a pivotal element, alongside developing resilience and skills required to play netball. Learning the game as well as loving the game with a sense of working together is essential to enhance their experiences at this early stage.

Under 15 – The emphasis remains on understanding learning how to train and compete with competition being used to consolidate game understanding, refining skills, and see improvements in decision making.

Athletes in the PDPs will be working towards being selected to go forward into each stage of the PDPs from the U13 PDPs to the U15 PDP. This is part of the EN Accredited programme for England Netball.

The EN Accredited programme for England Netball linked to the Super League Franchises in our case Saracens Mavericks includes:

U21 PDP
U19 PDP
U17 PDP
U15 PDP
Player Development Programme U19

The Saracens Mavericks Futures U18 and U15 and Mini Mavericks are not EN accredited and therefore the County U13 and U15 PDPs sessions should take precedence over these. This also includes any Pulse HUBS up to U15’s which are also not EN accredited.

We work closely with Saracens Mavericks (which is our partner franchise) and which is the next step of the Player Development Programme towards playing for England.  We realise there are other franchises that allow athletes to trial also, but we do work closely with Saracen’s Mavericks, and will liaise closely with them regarding any potential issues between the County PDP’s and Mavericks that could affect the attendance of athlete taking part in any unaccredited programme.

East Essex County Player Development Programmes

The East Essex Player Pathway Programmes operates over 1 age groups in Under-13 serving athletes under 12 and 13 and Under-15 serving athletes under 14 and 15, although the age range is flexible to cater for individual needs and maturation.

An athlete may spend between 6 months to 2 years at either stage with the eligible age of athletes at Under-U13/15 is, as of 23:59 on 31st August 2024

East Essex is delivering one U15 and one U13 Player Development Programmes for 2024/25.

There will be a minimum of 20 athletes invited per PDP, and at the discretion of the selectors and coaches, more athletes may be invited after the trials or during the season. There may be a reserve list held and athletes on that list could be invited if any of the invited athletes no longer wish to attend, has a long-term injury or have been deselected.

Under-15 County Player Development Programme

Venue: St Martins School, Hanging Hill Lane, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 2HG

Training Day: Thursday – Time: 7pm to 9.30pm

Dates TBA

Under-13 County Player Development Programme

Venue: University of Essex Sports Centre, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex

Training Day: Sunday Time: 10am to 12.30pm

Dates TBA

Training Sessions will include:

Roles and responsibilities of positions
Mental Toughness
Nutrition and Hydration
Fitness, Body Control, Agility and Fitness testing
Netball Technical skills and positional and unit skills
Decision making, communication, vision
Game sense

Home Training (outside of County training sessions)

We will give advice and training to all the athletes on home training including:

Activation exercises
Ball and Wall exercises
Landing Skills
Sprint exercises
Shooting exercises
Strength and Conditioning programmes
Completing training diaries and food diaries.

We expect all athletes to participate in home training as part of their overall training programme.

Competition

All athletes should be regularly taking part in relevant competition including club leagues within county, where possible U14/16 Regional Leagues, tournaments and inter-school competition.

For Under-15’s there is the opportunity to be part of the NSL Team’s Under-15 Academy 2025.

VNSL Teams are responsible for providing opportunities through Academies for the best Under 15 athletes and up, these athletes could be part of the NSL competition squad.

N.B: VNSL teams (our team is Saracen Mavericks) will be undertaking an additional selection process for 2025 in January and June for the competition in August 2025, but these athletes will already be in a County PDP or currently be part of the NSL academy already.

Athlete Progression

Athlete Progression for Under-13’s is the County Under-15 Player Development Programme.

There is no automatic entry to the next stage of the player pathway. Athletes must be nominated by the County Under-13 Player Development Programme Head Coach to trial along with others nominated by clubs. This applies even if an athlete has already had a year in the Player Development programme.

If the athlete has reached their potential in a County Under-13 Player Development programme it is recommended that they continue their training at club level.

Athlete Progression for Under-15’s is the VNSL Team’s Under-15 Academy and VNSL Team’s Under-17 Academy. There is no automatic entry to the next stage of the player pathway. Players must be nominated by the County U15 Player Development Programme Coach or by the County Player Development Lead to trial along with others nominated by clubs and schools.

If the athlete has reached their potential at County Under-15 Player Development programme it is recommended that they continue their training at club level. PDP coaches will advise athletes for the 23/24 process