The Netball Show
S7 Ep75: Ellie Gibbons (10th Oct 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. - Ellie Gibbons, no stranger to Super League, obviously Stars, Wasp, Storm, but also this season you've joined a team with such a great history in Prem One, Western Park Blades. Ellie, welcome back to the podcast and- - Thank you. - You knew their history, didn't you? So what was it like for you when you first decided to join them? - Yeah, so obviously for me, having stepped away from Super League this year, obviously location-wise, I'm down in Bournemouth, so not much really down there. But I obviously have come across Western Park Blades in Prem, have been previously paid for New Campbell for the last six or seven years, I think. So obviously knew what a strong side they were. I recall last season when we played them away, we had Fumi at one end and Fran Williams at the other. So I think the spectators were pretty happy when they turned up to a little sports hall and saw some international superstars. And amongst all of those, obviously, past and present Super League players and international. So yeah, super exciting to kind of go from one brilliant club to be accepted into another. And it's just a really lovely, I say transition, but actually it's intense. And I think for anyone that's watched a Prem game can probably agree that it is, yeah, it's quite the spectacle, definitely. - Obviously, Prem won. Hucklecourt, New Campbell, Turnford, Berry, Alden, strong teams. - Yeah, and do you know what, I remember my first ever Prem game years ago now and just it was against Alden, actually. And a real baptism of fire. And it's funny now when you have youngers coming up and just the looks on their faces, you're like, no, I know, it's pretty intense, but it's just lovely to, you know, know that actually, week in, week out, you are running, you know, off against international players and emerging talent and it's just a real mixture of those players, which I think sometimes, obviously, you know, once you get to Super League standard, there are generally you're playing against those kind of seasoned players, but it's, I think with Prem, it's a real nice mixture of both. You've got your veterans and your youngers coming through. So yeah, it's a lovely mixture. - Have you seen the amount of Super League players performing in Prem over the years? Or has it always been that amount of players? - Yeah, I think, obviously, the way that the seasons align, you'd play both. So you would start, what would Prem starts in September, Super League now, I think it's starting in March, I believe. - Crazy, yeah. - I think so. Don't hold me to that, but I think it is. So there is a quite big gap, actually, you know, for players to still play, but it's always, you always then get to the end of the season and the teams change, but I think, actually, what will be nice now is, I mean, I see the likes of, you know, Jade Clark playing for Oldham. So I think, like, for me, still, if I am playing in those games, I still get started by, you know, who I'm playing against or with. So I think it has always been from memory being like that, but I think particularly with the cut of players this year, the players would have either been forced to or decided to not have a contract. And actually, it's a really nice opportunity for people to still play at a really high level, obviously, with being able to still work full-time as well. So yeah, it's a good opportunity. - And only for blades as well, people will recognize so many of those names. Mia, Sophie, Gidda as well, and we can add your name to it now. - Yeah, yeah, no, that's the thing. I think, you know, there's lots of clubs in a similar position, actually, you know, your Oldhams, yeah, new combos, turnfords. But I think with blades, if they've had such a real consistent level of having those players that are coming back from, you know, playing internationally or have played access in, and they're actually then coming and dipping back into that community. And, you know, what you can learn for people, even playing one game in the season or training alongside them before they go off to somewhere else. It's invaluable. So it's pretty cool going to still play weekend week out with, like you say, the, the Mia's and, you know, Sophie's and all of the other girls that are there. It's, yeah, it's pretty exciting. - And that's one heck of a WhatsApp group. - It is, yeah, there's the, I could do that thing where you scroll through and pick a nice, famous netballer through your WhatsApp contacts, so. - Yeah, how about the blades prem squad, obviously? You could buy Jan and obviously Shona as well. - Yeah, really exciting, actually, that obviously the first time I've come across both coaches, but with, you know, I am myself, I'm a trainer. I love training. I always have done and I really enjoy training hard and learning a lot, even at the right page of 30. So I was really reluctant to lose out on obviously having Mickey and Mel and Bianca was coaches for the last few years. The sessions were brilliant and we learnt so much. And I was, didn't want to lose that. And I was actually really happy that, you know, Shona is an awesome coach. She's obviously just been picked up with Assistant Coach, but notting him for us this year, which was really exciting. So yeah, happy to have, you know, we still want to learn. Doesn't matter how old you are or how much experience you've had. So yeah, they definitely have really, that kind of side of it has been really good so far. And I have a little notepad and I write down and when I come back to comfort to work, I just reproduce that. So don't tell my boss that though. So I think I'm cheating. - Blades, just moved into a new home, haven't you? Was also what's that like for you as a player on court? - Yeah, so luckily, so our Sarah Wakeman our team manager has been working really, really hard in the off season. So managed to secure a partnership with Southampton, Southern University. So having previously been at Spa Shop College where we still will train, but all our games are now going to be from Southern Uni. For us, that means we're in a lovely sports hall where it's, you know, can seat up to 500 people and there's a real big push for getting people, obviously the Southwest have lost three franchises really within reach. So we're hoping to kind of feel that gap a little bit but people to be able to come along and watch them really high quality netball. So, you know, Southampton is hopefully pretty central to those in the South. And I believe tickets may range from five to eight pounds, but again, don't hold me on that. But on the Western Park Blades website, you can, or across the socials, you'll be able to find like a link that will take you to like the event, right, protection, if anyone fancy to come and watch us. So yeah, we're hoping to fill out those seats and hopefully put some wins on the board. So yeah. - Yeah, a few games in. Obviously you're doing pretty good so far. How have you found it? - Yeah, really good actually. So yeah, we've had one, so two weekends ago, we played charm where I think we won 75, 50 something. It was a good game, everyone on call. So really nice way to start our season. You know, Blades obviously wasn't there last year, but they finished second in Premier League last year. And I think sites are very much, we've set all our goals is minimum top two, like we're hoping to go for that top spot, of course. So I definitely think we've got, you know, the talent, a real full squad, I would say, you know, not just a seven, which is, I think, crucial for Prem, particularly where people are pulled in different directions, got to rely on that greater squad. So yeah, it's looking exciting and promising, definitely. - It's about keeping sport visible in the south and southeast as well. So as of course, what if somebody wants to become a blade? How did they get involved? - I would say you could reach out to us on our social, so Instagram is very active at Western Pop Blades. There's also a website that's very good and updated. And you know, it's got lots of information on it. And like I say, Sarah, our team manager and Simon, they're brilliant on the comm, so definitely getting in touch. It's a brilliant club, a lot of history, got some really nice new kit this season as well, I must say, so I'm very impressed so far. - And the nice thing is as well, you're another one of the Nordic clubs that play in Flyhawk kit, what's that like for you? How does it make you feel? - So good, I love the Flyhawk dresses. They're just so comfy, they cover you in all the right places, really, really lovely to play on. I think someone who's always said to me, this is Mel Mansfield, look good, feel good, play good. So yeah, I think it makes a difference if you can step out onto the court feeling confident. So yeah, thank you to Flyhawk for your wonderful dresses, we appreciate them. - And just being able to have a company like that that really cares for net ballers and playing in the best possible kit. - Yeah, yeah, and that is what they do, that they are a specialist in netball dresses and the likes of London Pulse as well, who wear their kits. So obviously they care about what the netballer wants and as a female athlete, how you want to feel when you step out on court. So yeah, brilliant to have them involved as well. And get some blade socks as well if you're lucky. So continue your pair Andy. - You know, I'd agree to that. (laughs) And also on the website as well, opportunities for coaches and umpires to get involved as well, that's important. - Yeah, definitely, I mean, when at storm training, we always kind of had umpires coming down to umpire our games because you then get to a game and you're like, "Well, why am I getting called for that?" Or blah, blah, blah. So, you know, it's definitely for umpires to come along and either in training session, coaches, we think we, you know, we have lots of coaches involved. Nikki Lloyd as well, who's joined us this year from the sorry, some pathway system. So we've got a really good team around the team, which is super important as well, definitely. - On the website as well as I said last season, squads included in 12 current under 17, under 19, under 21s and full internationals, 25 MPL players and 13 Super League players. That is a really impressive stat. - Yeah, it's quite the good recipe, isn't it? (laughs) - But things like that, just, just got to show what being part of blades means. - Absolutely, yeah, and like you're right, we've got such good, strong youth coming through what I've seen so far, you know, the likes of Neve, who's just got into the Roses Academy again. She's a little superstar, had been at Storm previously as well, trained with us a little bit towards the end of last Super League season. So, you know, to play with those girls and play with them at the start of their careers, it's just really exciting to kind of see, you know, all the joy and the blisters they've got ahead of them. So, definitely good. - Have you that you've going what you're getting out of it so far? - For me, it's just like, you know, I've always played Prem alongside Super League, but it's just, you know, it has left a slight gap in my life of what I'm used to, you know, driving down to Surrey near enough every day. But, you know, blades has, has kind of been a great transition for me as well, and it's still just as high a standard of training and competition for me. You know, I feel very lucky to have been a part of New Campbell as well, and it's been, you know, lovely to transition across, like you say, into a team that is staff-dudded, and we're lucky to have Lucy Reed as our club captain as well, which is also a superstar and just creates a really lovely culture. So, yeah, it's been great. - I've already got the 24th of November marked up on my calendar, not what that is. - One of our games? - Yeah, you're playing Grinch Town up here. - There we are. There we are. We'll see you there, bring your socks up. - Ellie, thanks for your time. More on blades with some plugs, blades.co.uk. - Fabulous, thank you so much. And yeah, hopefully to see some of you guys again soon. - The netball show is now also available via SkyQ and Sky Glass. So, let's sport, and we're on the podcast's rail.
Ellie has made the switch to Western Park Blades this season as she joins from New Cambell