NetballSmart led the way in engagement at the recent Netball NZ U18 Champs in Dunedin, 15-19 July.
Their support throughout the week was well received, with active social media, a triage tent, injury surveillance, warmup observations, conservations with coaches, and NetballSmart and USL medical managers' kits.
Attending the Champs
Amelia Pasco and Katie Adamson, NetballSmart Development Officers from Netball Northern were at the tournament, and say it was a great opportunity to support athletes to engage in NetballSmart at this level of netball.
Social media
The team’s youth-focused social media strategy, during the week, worked to increase followers and get young people interested in their messaging, says Amelia.
“U18 Champs is a physically intensive week, so we wanted to reach as many players, and their coaches, as possible,” she says.
“We had really good engagement, especially with our short video questions - with some great answers around prevention and recovery.”
Available to players and coaches
Being physically visible at U18 Champs was also a big part of their campaign says Katie.
The team ran a strapping and triage tent with the other NetballSmart Development Offices from netball zones.
“We had two physios on site strapping players and umpires, and offering advice to anyone who came to us with injuries or niggles,” says Katie.
“We also ran surveillance during the tournament, where we encouraged athletes with an injury to fill in the injury surveillance form to help us with research to continue to develop in areas of need,” she says.
The value of the week
Amelia says overall it was a great week to get involved.
“It’s always positive to see so much NeballSmart in action!”
Netball Smart Development Officers
There are six NetballSmart Development Officers (NSDO) distributed around New Zealand and are a qualified group of physiotherapists and sports science graduates who love netball. The NSDO’s are there to work with coaches, players, schools, centres and clubs to assist in developing smart netball strategies to improve performance and decrease injury risk. They will run workshops, visit schools, clubs and centres and engage in a way that meets the varied needs of Netball.
Visit NetballSmart for more information https://www.netballsmart.co.nz/
