During October, Women in Sport are inviting inviting mums/mother-figures and daughters to set aside time to develop their relationship with each other, and with exercise as part of their #TimeTogethercampaign.
Spending time being active together provides a valuable opportunity for daughters and their mum/mother-figure to discover the joy, fun and wellbeing benefits of exercise.
As part of the campaign, we spoke to daughter and mum Caitlyn-Jaye and Carey about their involvement in netball together and the positive impact its had on themselves and their relationship…
Tell us about your netball journeys
Caitlyn-Jaye (CJ): I started spectating when I was around seven when I started to watch mum play. Then I started playing at primary school and was one of the youngest members to start with the club at that time. I’m now playing with my college team at Peter Symonds College and three other teams. My mum is a coach and that inspired me to start on my coaching journey and I recently qualified a as a Level 1.
Carey: I started playing at young age and played at the same level and college would you believe as CJ but after that life got in the way. After being made redundant three times in a row in the financial services industry, I decided to follow my love for what was a sports PE teacher and started volunteering in netball and I’ve never looked back. They say everything happens for a reason even if you don’t know what that is at the time, now I do and it was the best thing that could have happened as I’m so lucky to be involved in netball both as a volunteer and as my employed role (NDO Hampshire and Isle of Wight). Many different hats so to speak.
What’s it like being involved in netball together and what impact has it had on your relationship?
CJ: I think it has brought us closer together because we are able to share the same passion.
Carey: We laugh a lot more and it makes us both a lot happier. The impact on our relationship has been a massively positive one. We play at the same club, not in the same team, but we love sharing our netball stories and being on this journey together now.
What are the benefits of netball (e.g. joy, wellbeing) and why does netball inspire you to be active?
CJ: Netball is the only thing that makes me happy and forget the stresses of life and helps with my mental wellbeing – I don’t have to worry or think about anything else, just that! It is my downtime and takes me to a different place. I met my best friend playing netball even though we live far apart. Netball brings us closer together and we always know we will have fun and get to see each other at netball even if it’s just once a week, we still have a great bond.
Carey: Netball has been my only constant in the past, which helped me through a really tough experience in my life, I literally don’t know what I would have done without it, the friends, the relationships, what was a safe place away from home at the time. Some activities I find really boring, netball is my fun and varied way of still learning and being active at the same time.
Why is netball a great sport for teenagers and mums to do together?
CJ: It 100% brings you closer together. You get to share the same passion, spend more time together and know each other from a different perspective. It’s a different type of bond and you get to physically feel it on the court and see and feel each other’s dreams.
Carey: Don’t think I can say it any better than CJ has above. I wholeheartedly agree with everything she has said! I’m so proud of her and everything she has achieved so far in netball and how it has helped us both. It is not just a sport; it’s part of who we are!
For mums and daughters interested in taking part in netball, Back to Netball is a fun and friendly (re-)introduction to the sport.
More than 110,000 women and girls of all ages and levels of experience have already (re-)discovered their love for the game and realised the many benefits of getting involved.
England Netball will be sharing stories from members of the Netball Family during the month so make sure you’re following on Facebook, and Twitter. You can also read about Izzy, Eliza, Amelia and Anita from Norfolk United here.
