Tameside netballers cheer on England

Back in November, children from across Tameside were chosen to be mascots for the Vitality Roses, England’s national netball team.

Children from St Mary’s C of E School in Droylsden and Denton Netball Club acted as Mascots for the Vitality England Roses and Jamaica Sunshine Girls during the home leg of the inaugural Vitality Netball Horizon Series on November 16 and 17. 

Whilst Jamaica won the series in the final match in Kingston, the opening game saw a nail-biting draw and the Vitality Roses won the second game in Manchester in front of a loud and passionate home crowd. 

The children from across Tameside were chosen to be mascots at both games at the AO Arena in Manchester, with a total of 48 children aged seven to eleven taking part across both days. 

After arriving at the arena, the children were taken on a tour of the backstage areas, getting the chance to see the many different elements of an international sporting event, including the mixed zone for media and the team dressing rooms. 

When it was time for the event to begin, the children took their positions in the tunnel where they could hear the roar of the crowd.  

As the teams were announced, the children took to the court hand in hand with players from both nations.  

They carried out their roles beautifully with smiles on their faces during both national anthems. 

Once their job was done the children were escorted to their seats to cheer on the Vitality Roses and enjoy the games together with their coaches and teachers.  

After the games the children were brought down to the court to chat to the players, collect autographs and take selfies, which was a great way to finish off what will be a day the children will remember forever. 

England Netball Greater Manchester Netball Development Community Coach Danielle Colebourne reflected on the experience, saying: “After working with some of the children over the last few months, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to share the experience with them, their coaches and teachers. From start to finish the whole day was one that we will all remember forever. I was incredibly proud of how well the children carried out their roles both on court and backstage. Being part of an event of this scale could be overwhelming for some, however, the children of St Mary’s School and Denton Netball Club took it all in their stride. They really are a credit to their families and their communities.” 

Year 1 Teacher at St Mary’s C of E School, Amy Leitch, who delivers their Bee Netball programme added: “The children will never forget today. They loved every minute and were so well looked after. One even said it was 'the best day of their life'!” 

Among those in the Vitality Roses squad for both matches was 26-year-old Amy Carter, who spent her teenage years playing for Tameside Netball Club. 

The event was organised as part of the ‘Bee Netball’ programme, one of England Netball’s many nationwide participation programmes. 

‘Bee Netball’ is England Netball’s fun and nurturing programme for children aged 5-11, which guides them through the beginning of their team sport journey.  

It is designed to introduce children to netball skills and to support every child’s personal development on and beyond the court. 

At St Mary’s School, their Bee Netball after-school programme began back in the Spring and has been going from strength to strength, while Denton Netball Club was one of the very first clubs in the country to deliver Bee Netball.  

Their sessions have consistently grown in numbers since they started delivering them, so much so that they now run two sessions each week. 

To learn more about the ‘Bee Netball' initiative, email danielle.colebourne@englandnetball.co.uk 

Netball remains the most popular team sport for women in the country, with more than 850,000 players taking to court on a weekly basis and 3 million players participating every year.  

The national team the Vitality Roses have moved up to number two in the world rankings and the sport has embarked on a journey to professionalisation with the domestic league, the Netball Super League.  

In Tameside alone there are three ‘Back to Netball’ sessions across the borough.  

This 10-week programme will reintroduce you to netball in a supportive way, whether you have not played for years or perhaps it is your first experience. 

Head to the England Netball Session Finder or email danielle.colebourne@englandnetball.co.uk to find out where your nearest session is.