Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com - 21/07/2019 - Netball - Vitality Netball World Cup 2019 final - Australia v New Zealand - M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England - Francesca Williams and Helen Housby of England during the medal ceremony.
Over the last week, people have been using social media as a tool to get their netball fix.
The Netball Family have found innovative ways to stay connected during this time through shooting challenges, home workout tips and sharing positive stories online.
We have pulled together the best bits shared on social media from the last seven days.
Fran Williams wins University of Birmingham Sports Person of the Year
Vitality Rose and Wasps Netball defender Fran Williams was proudly accepted University of Birmingham’s Sports Person of the Year Award this week.
The 22-year-old was given the honour after a fantastic 12 months which included winning bronze at the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup – her first major international tournament with her country.
Great honour to be named @UBSport Sports Person of the Year and congratulations to all the other nominees on some pretty incredible achievements. Massive thank you also to @UOBNetball and @UBSscholarships for all of your support #yamb 🦁 https://t.co/raykWaP78M
— Francesca Williams (@fwills11) June 19, 2020
Williams also helped the Vitality Roses win bronze at the Vitality Netball Nations Cup and triumph in an away series against South Africa in November. She also helped her Vitality Netball Superleague franchise to a Grand Final in 2019.
The defender studies economics at in Birmingham and thanked the university for their support in her winner’s speech. Congratulations, Fran!
The start of School Sport Week
This weekend signified the beginning of the Youth Sport Trust’s School Sport Week and England Netball will be running a plethora virtual sporting challenges to celebrate.
England Netball will be taking part in the week by offering a series of live virtual events, challenging children, young people and families to get moving together through netball.
Be part of something special with @EnglandNetball this National School Sport Week
🐝Bee Together & Stronger Together -there’s something for all children, young people & families
See our special announcement with NW role models for more info & book here👉🏼 https://t.co/5sgyxf8C3d pic.twitter.com/Atqfoel58s
— North West Netball (@NW_Netball) June 17, 2020
The week will also see the launch of Blended Netball, an exciting new programme which brings together peer to peer learning for girls with special educational needs, within secondary schools.
You can find out more and book onto these free, fun events here.
Netballers do their bit
Netballers in England are once again proving that they are doing their bit for the NHS and other charities during the pandemic.
For the last two months, we have reported on the incredible work the Netball Family is doing to support others and they continue to amaze the community.
Danielle took on Challenge 24 in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK and in honour of her late mother Elise. The challenge included taking of 24 days of ’24-related challenges’ and one included scoring a massive 24 netball goals in a row! More impressively, Danielle has raised more than £5,000. You can donate here.
We're so proud of Danielle who has been doing 24 challenges for 24 days. So far she’s raised £5,001 and some of her challenges involved a 24 hour silence, scoring 24 consecutive goals and staying awake for 24 hours! #Challenge24
Read her story: https://t.co/VqRzyrlxMw pic.twitter.com/HiJdZrWstq
— Pancreatic Cancer UK (@PancreaticCanUK) June 19, 2020
Ipswich Ladies Netball Club have also been raising money. They have decided to support St Elizabeth Hospice with a #MillionPassChallenge and have already surpassed their £1,000 target. You can donate here.
One Less Lonely Voice
This week is Loneliness Awareness Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of loneliness and encourage people to speak about it openly.
Throughout the week, the Marmalade Trust are hosting a virtual campaign called ‘One Less Lonely Voice’, in which they’re taking the ‘one’ out of loneliness to signify one less lonely voice.
Understanding loneliness one conversation at a time 🗣️
This week, we're supporting #LonelinessAwarenessWeek with @marmaladetrust to show that nobody is alone in their loneliness 🫂
Find out more ⤵️
— England Netball (at 🏡) (@EnglandNetball) June 19, 2020
They are also sharing tips and advice on both aiming to tackle loneliness and how we can help others. These are available to view here.
Try to stay connected with your teammates, colleagues, fellow volunteers and others in the netball community as much as possible, and keep following the latest guidance.
Superleague fans show their colours
Fans of the Vitality Netball Superleague were given the opportunity to fly their franchise’s colours with pride this week.
Followers were given custom Twitter avatars with their favourite franchise’s colours and logos to show their support.
Thanks @NetballSL #NewProfilePic Get involved @SaracensMavs @MavericksNpl 🙌🏻👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/AULGclgn37
— Kathryn Ratnapala (@katratnapala) June 16, 2020
More than 55 people were given their new profile pictures including the likes of Kat Ratnapala, VNSL champion Emma Dovey, Northern Ireland’s Michelle Drayne, and dozens of netball fanatics.
You can follow the Vitality Netball Superleague on both Twitter and Instagram.
Make sure to return next week to see a comprehensive round-up of the most exciting netball content from the last week!
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