England Netball Player Pathway
Key Dates coming up:
East Essex Player Development Programme Screening 2023-24
Saturday 8th July and Sunday 9th July 2023 – Highwoods Sports Centre (Gilberd School) Colchester
An additional screening session will take place in Early September 2023 TBA
Screening for U13/U15 athletes for East Essex Player Development Programmes 2023
U13 – Year 7 will take place on the morning of the 8th July 2023 – register 9.30am
U13 – Year 8 will take place on the afternoon of the 8th July 2023 – register 1pm
U15 – Year 9/10 will take place on 9th July 2023 from 10am onwards – register 9.30am
All nominated athletes who have returned their registration forms by the required closing date of 11th June 2023 will be notified with details of time to attend and what to bring along with them.
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 20, this is something that is part of the criteria set out by England Netball and we have to adhere to these numbers, clubs can nominate 3 athletes for each PDP. 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. With less numbers we will have to be much more stringent with the current selection and deselection policy.
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.
Athlete Nominator Guidance 2023-24 – 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 2024.
The Netball Athlete Performance Identification Policy 23-24 above, 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 23-24 – These forms will only be accepted from club coaches and the athletes they nominate.
Club Current Year 6 Coach Nominations
Club Current Year 7 Coach Nominations
Club U15 PDP Coach Nominations
U13 (Current School Year 6) Player Nominations Form
U13 (Current School Year 7) Player Nominations Form
U13 (Current School Year 8) Player Nominations Form
Player Development Programme
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.
East Essex County Player Development Programmes
The East Essex Player Pathway Programmes operates over 2 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 2023
East Essex will deliver one U15 and two U13 Player Development Programmes.
There will be 20 athletes per PDP, there will be a reserve list held and athletes on that list will be invited if any athletes no longer wish to attend, have a long-term injury or may be deselected for a number of reasons.
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
Training Dates: October 2023 to April / May 2024 – TBA
Plus, two Match Days dates TBA*
Under-13 County Player Development Programme
Venue: University of Essex Sports Centre, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex
Training Day: Sunday
Time: County PDP 8 (Year 8) – 12noon to 2.30pm
County PDP 7 (Year 7) – 2.30pm to 5pm
Dates: September to April/May 2024 TBA*
Plus, two Match Days dates TBA*
*Each County Netball Association will be involved in Match Days (Match Day 1 – between October – December 2023 Match Day 2 – between March – May 2024) which will be organised by the Player Pathway Management Group.
N.B: We know Sunday sessions can be an issue for some clubs and athletes, but we do expect those selected to prioritise County PDP training over regular club match commitments/school commitments or other sports commitments.
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, 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 2024.
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 will be undertaking an additional selection process for 2023 for the competition in August 2023, but these athletes will already be nominated by the CNAs or currently be part of the NSL academy already.
For 2024, the talent pool from which VNSL Teams can select the Under 15 Academy squads for the NSL competition will be those athletes within County player development programmes.
From June 2024 athletes who attend any County Player Development Programme, and who are registered on Engage by 31st March 2024, may attend trials for any VNSL Team’s Under 15 Academy programme from June 2024
Only those athletes that are within the EN endorsed player pathway structures for U15’s will be eligible for the above. Players within the EN endorsed County structures will all be registered on Engage and will be eligible.
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.
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Cost per Athlete for 2023/24 for all sessions: £300
If any parents need support towards these cost’s please contact the County Player Development Manager for details of funding that may be provided by East Essex subject to meeting the required criteria.
East Essex County Player Development Team:
County Player Development Manager: Michele Quaife MBE – [email protected]
County Player Development Lead: Linda Gaine
U15 PDP Head Coach: Chelsea Quaife
U15 PDP Assistant Coach: Martin Quaife
U13 PDP 8 Head Coach: Interim Linda Gaine
U13 PDP 8 Assistant Coach: Rachael Meadows
U13 PDP 7 Head Coach: Linda Gaine
U13 PDP 7 Assistant Coach: Sam Harwood
Sessions are led by England Netball qualified coaches with appropriate experience of working with talented athletes.
Coaching Philosophy – RDF LINK
Other Useful Information
The following diagram shows the England Netball Player pathway
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This document shows the changes to the England Netball player pathway programme names and role titles
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There is a Player Pathway management group for each Netball Region working with the VNSL Teams in our case Saracens Mavericks the document attached shows their purpose and remit. The County Player Development Lead, Linda Gaine is the East Essex representative.
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Other Screening Opportunities and information
It is important to note that many of the VNSL Teams will have trials leading to training opportunities available for U15 athletes over the summer, but these may not be EN endorsed player pathway programmes and may exclude athletes from being eligible for the U15 VNSL Academy pathway. It is important to check if these are endorsed EN player pathway programmes especially if you are Year 9/10 from September 2023.
If you decide to go down this route and trial and gain a place for any unendorsed VNSL training opportunity and are also invited to a County U15 PDP as well, we may advise you to choose one or the other, as we will require absolute commitment to the County U15 PDP or you may be deselected. If deselected this could put at risk your opportunity to trial for the Under 15 Academy squads for the VSNL competition in January 2024
The other VNSL EN endorsed player pathway programme trials for the remaining VNSL Teams Player Development Programme and VNSL Teams U17, U19 and U21 Academy will take place in September to October at the latest.
England Netball Player pathway programmes – athletes’ age groups 2023-24
- County Player Pathway Programme operate over 2 age groups (e.g., Under 13 (under 12/13 years) Under-15 (under 14 and 15)
- eague (Saracens Mavericks for our area)
- VNSL Academy Under-15
- VNSL Academy Under-17
- VNSL Academy Under-19
- VNSL Academy Under-21
For further details of these opportunities for Saracen’s Mavericks please visit their website regularly for further information.