England Netball has today launched a new competition to help develop and prepare talented young netballers for high level competition in association with National Children’s Charity, Youth Sport Trust, supported by Sport England Lottery Funding.
The U15 Netball Performance Competition, taking place at Wolverhampton University, will see Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) franchises and invited teams compete in a high performance competition, which will help their U15 players develop appropriate skills and give an elite athlete experience for attendees both on and off the court.
Supported by Sport England Lottery Funding, the YST has created resources for talented young athletes to help them prepare for the Netball national events taking place from 30th August – 1st September. These resources are housed on the YST Talent Portal and are designed to help young athletes prepare for the mental challenges that go hand in hand with high level competition.
Sheonah Forbes, Academy Head Coach at England Netball, said: “It is great to be launching this new competition for U15s which will help to develop our future elite netballers. This is all part of preparing these young athletes for what is to come when they start competing at a high level, meaning they will be as prepared as they possibly can be to deal with the pressures that come with that.
“We’re looking forward to seeing Youth Sport Trust conduct their workshops throughout the event. This whole initiative wouldn’t have been possible without their support and that of Sport England Lottery Funding. I’m excited to see how the U15s find the experience.”
Recognising the huge part that families play in helping athletes succeed, YST has also created and launched a brand new app, Performance Parent, available to download on iPhone and Android. Details of exactly how to access both athlete and parent resources will be made available in August.
YST will also be on hand in the venue on all three days with workshops, support and giveaways. Standby for more information on the Talent Programme in the coming weeks.
Ali Oliver, Chief Executive from the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Today’s young people already face a raft of issues which are widely documented and can be heightened when asked to compete at the top level.
“This summer is an exciting time with so many high-profile sporting events taking place but it’s important that we have support mechanisms and education programmes in place to help the next generation of elite athletes to thrive in their lives in and beyond sport. This Sport England Lottery Funding allows us to reach and support so many of those young people with partnership with the governing bodies and organisations such as England Netball.”
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