The Netball Show
S7 Ep66: Geva Mentor: Les Bleus (11th Sept 2024)
(upbeat music) - Hi, this is Nat Metcalf. Flyhawk have developed a unique 3D kit designer that's fully customizable. So if you're looking for a new kit for your team for the new season, visit flyhawk.com or email info@flyhawk.com with your ideas now. - Nation Player is the easy to use, one-stop radio and audio app. Download Nation Player now on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Nation Player, where on are you? - The net will show with Flyhawk. Raising the bar for netball and winning sports. - Netball show with Flyhawk also available these days on the Nation Radio app. Chief of Mentor, you're announced back in May as a performance director. So first of all, how are things going? - Yeah, hi Andy, let me speak to you. Yeah, I was announced back in April May time, although not meant to officially start things till September, but I've pretty much hit the ground running. There's definitely lots to be done. There's some fantastic people, voluntary people in the organisation that are working hard behind the scenes to get things going. And obviously the programme's been running internationally for the last couple of years. And Lebluu managed to achieve their first ranking points this year, which was fantastic at the challenge open, which was over in the Isle of Man. And my job now behind the scenes is to help create some great structures around the performance programme, make sure it's strong from the bottom up. So the junior programme and into the seniors too. So really excited, a lot of work to be done. It is all voluntary. I feel like I'm doing 35 plus hours a week with no dollar signs coming through or Euro, shall I say, coming into the bank account. But you know what? It's one of those things where it's the passion and love that you have for the game and being able to see it grow and the steps it can take that is super rewarding. - And that would have been nice for you. So what's up, been like working with Bethany, the Nepal Friends president, and obviously the rest of the players and the coaches asked cart as well? - Yeah, so some people may have heard of Bethany. She's actually an Ozzy that now lives over in France, in Paris, and she's the Nepal France president. And I've been so incredibly impressed with what she's managed to set up and create and the governance, the structures and getting everything in place and making us as professional as possible. We're obviously recognised by Europe, Nepal and World Network, but still sort of vying for that Federation status, which then changed a lot of things in France and having that recognition from the French government will then mean we're able to bring in some more sponsorship and grant money and I guess a lot of our athletes are self-funded at the moment. So to be able to change that scale would be brilliant. But yeah, she's fantastic. She's a pioneer for the Nepal France. She's pushed so many things forward. She's managed to sort of instigate and create and set up a lot of where Nepal France is and is today. And she's also part of the Le blues. So she's a busy woman and a great attribute for Nepal France and there are many of them to be honest in the organisation, men and women. We are very proud that we're not just all female, we have a mix side as well and looking to grow that from juniors all the way up. So it's a family affair at the moment with everyone chipping in and using your sort of knowledge across the board to help grow the game in the community as well as in the performance wise. - Obviously we saw the recent Olympics as well that Nepal France held that awareness event at the sport and things like that are really important. - Yeah, it's great around major events when there's a con games or Olympics when they have those activation sites and it made sense and the team have managed to put together a really good plan to be able to create a session where we could invite anyone along. We managed to not bring along some posts, some of the netball France club members and the seniors came down and delivered a fantastic session, just making awareness to the sport in netball. Obviously netball is not that known in Europe unless you're probably in the next pattern, you managed to sort of share the love and knowledge of the game to other native French. So the more we can sort of reach and broaden the visuals on the game and awareness of it, I think the stronger it will be. And then we put some big ambitions and some high expectations within our organisation and to have over 50% at least native to be able to sort of reach a world cup in the next sort of couple of netball Europe cycles would be fantastic as well. So, but I think to be able to do that, you've got to have that exposure, you've got to be able to be seen and put yourself out there and it takes some great opportunities like the Olympics for us to be able to, I guess, showcase our wonderful sport to the rest of the world. - Yeah, you mentioned it was round of our way from there that you joined. Have you seen things grow and develop in that relatively short time? - Yes, whether I'm liked or not, I'm coming already. And I've sort of taken the performance and the elite teams by, I mean, with the beauty of it, when I came in, we're actually up for a meal for our coaching staff as they run every two years. So I've actually appointed a brand new head coach for the junior team, assistant coach and team manager. Ashley Taylor comes in from Manchester Thunder, our juniors, which is fantastic. It's got a wealth of knowledge and combining with Simone, who's sort of based in the Welsh area in the UK and then Liz, who's a team manager, who's who lives in France. We've got a real beautiful combination in the juniors to help sort of cultivate and nurture that young program, which we'll feed into our Le blues. And what we see at the moment is the wonderful Asha Francis, who was obviously, most people know the name from Team Bath MPL coach, who sadly had her job removed from her this year with the reduction in NSL teams, but where that loss is, we've been able to gain from her expertise joining in as head coach for the senior Le blues. And that means our current head coach, Fran, has wonderfully been able to take a sort of side step into that assistant coach role to keep expanding and developing her coaching role. And then we've got some wonderful team managers to do this, it's a big role and a big ass. As I said, everyone in voluntary and logistic wise, it's a nightmare. And for us, it's exciting that now we've got our staff in place. We've got trials coming up at the end of this month. So yeah, 22nd of September, there will be trials for the juniors and the seniors with application 15th of September. - Can you tell us a little about the criteria that players, potential players at least would need to meet? - Yes, yeah, absolutely. So obviously age group wise for the juniors. And if you're good enough, then perhaps you can be able to trial into the seniors in terms of requirements need to be resident of France or have that French connection either through a parent or grandparent. So we do actually have international athletes in our junior and senior programme, some that live in over in the UK or at school or working or as I said, residing in the UK that come across and play for the national teams. And we have camps because logistically France is a very large country to cover with scheduled camps throughout the year. So we do host them all around the UK with looking at competitions, not just regionally but looking at a crossover in the UK and our local nations like obviously Ireland, Scotland, Wales, looking to build partnerships with Jersey and throwing a duck through there. So yeah, it's wonderful that we've got so many athletes that are capable, but as I mentioned, yeah, criteria, if you've got that French connection, then put your application in and come along to trials and we'd love to really keep bolstering up our elite pathway. - registrations close on the 15th of September. More information at netballfrance.com. Jeeva, thanks for your time. - Jeeva, daddy, love to speak to you. - The net will show with Flyhawk, raising the bar for netball and winning sports. (upbeat music)
Geva Mentor has been speaking to us about her role at Netball France as national squad trials will be taking place soon. Be Quick to register at netballfrance.com