The Netball Show
S7 Ep81: Tristan Donaldson (25th 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 Netball Show with Flyhawk, raising the bar for Netball and winning sports. - It's a Netball Show with Flyhawk. We always like to highlight books and the men's game wherever we can. And on this podcast, we've got more information. On our Pilot Books and Men's Tournament, it's gonna be taking place on the 17th of November. So from the start, if you wanted to get involved with Don't Delay, Tristan Donaldson, you join us now and you're from a member of the Trailblazers, first of all. So I suppose what was that experience like for you? - It was really invaluable. I'm somebody who only started playing Netball at university. I previously played rugby before and taking it up and starting. And within a year, gave the chance to play for England in the Trailblazers was such a cool experience. I mean, I learned so much, you get to work with top level coaches, our coach Wes was an incredible coach. And I got to have some really amazing experiences. For example, last December, I was very fortunate to participate in the inaugural International Men's Tournament in Singapore. We played against Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and that was an amazing experience just to be part of that. And to see just kind of where the men's game is going and to bring countries from all across the world to play in that tournament was such a fantastic experience. So yeah, it was really something special to be a part of the Trailblazers. - Books pilot took place last year, we part of it. And what was that like? - Yes, so I was part of it. So I go to uni at the uni of Warwick and we were part of that tournament along with Loughborough, Bath, Buckinghamshire, Birmingham and Manchester, Matt. And it was such a cool experience. It was so cool to see players from all different levels. So more experienced players like me who had been a part of the Trailblazers to guys who had maybe picked up a netball a couple of times before, but to come together and everybody get to play, I thought it was so good. And even when we got to the final and the semi-final, the quality of play was really high. I was lucky again, my team was lucky. I was captaining the team for that year. So I was the performance captain of the team and we managed to win the tournament, but the final game against Loughborough was such a tight game. It was so competitive and really it was so cool just to see so many guys picking up a netball and yeah, it was a really awesome experience. - I suppose this year we may be in another year of pilot almost proof that the need for such a competition is there really? - Yeah, I would say we're still definitely in the kind of early stages. And I think, yeah, this tournament again this year is about putting it out there that, you know, men's netball is growing, men's netball at university level is something that is growing in popularity and in participation. We have more, I think we have seven now pushing towards eight participating, which is more than last year. So there's already growth from that sense. But I think definitely we're still in a proof of concept phase, but that definitely doesn't mean that we're not moving in the right direction. I think again, this year's tournament we're probably gonna see a jumping quality again, more teams participating. But I think definitely we're still in that kind of proof of concept phase where we're just building up that participation and building the kind of foundations for a more long-term plan. - Yeah, I mean, men's netball is one of the largest growing sports in the country. And it's just obviously proving that the fact that there's a demand really. - Yes, definitely. I think that's the thing. I think that showing to barks and showing to even to showing to men at university that this is a real sport, a growing sport. And I think, you know, there is a lot of stigma around men's netball and guys, I think from guys playing netball. And I think a lot of what this tournament is about is showing to those guys like, look, like this is a real sport, like this is a competitive sport. And like, if you wanna play competitive sport, then you can play men's netball. And I think like that is really an important and big part of this tournament as well, kind of breaking that stigma and showing guys that this and like, men's netball is a real sport, it's a sport that you should want to play. And I think that we're definitely breaking down these barriers. And I think the tournament is a massive part of that. - Is there plenty of almost sharing good information and good practice, I suppose, between how men's clubs can be established within unis? - I think that we're definitely working on getting that best practice for clubs. I'm very lucky that being part of Warwick, I think other than maybe at Cambridge, we're the only two properly established mix netball clubs at universities across the UK. And the University of Warwick at points has had over 200 members in their mix netball club. And they're kind of the standard bearer of how it can be done successfully. But I think with these tournaments, is we're really looking to bring teams together and build those lines of communication. When you're not officially a buck sport, it's really on the teams themselves to build everything up. And so I think it is so vital that everybody in the community kind of has to chip in. That's how it is with mix and men's netball. As much as it is a growing sport, it is also a very new sport. But the good thing about that is it's a really tight knit community. And I think especially with things like this tournament, it's about getting these teams and getting these new teams in and showing to them, okay, how can you build this tournament? We don't want it to be, this is the tournament, and then it's done. We want this tournament to be, this is the start for XY University of how can we build for the long run? And I think that stuff like having more games between universities throughout the year, having more friendlies, looking to put in into club charters for in women's clubs at university level, for example, having a men's rep. Stuff like that is some kind of things that we're considering. And we're trying really hard with the SAG group and with other universities to really help as much as possible in building those clubs. 'Cause we want to have that kind of long-term structure in place so that it's not just a one-off, once a year tournament that we can actually provide men with a constant flow of games and matches. And that is kind of the really the long-term goal that we're looking towards. Book, sport, advisory group, provided a men's rep. You are that rep. What's that like for you? It's been a really, really enjoyable experience. Having only picked Netball up a couple of years ago to have gone from somebody who would never even thought of playing Netball to being the representative for the universities on the box. Advisory board is like really an honor. And it's been really good, I think, to see the participation from people from Bucks and people from GB Netball who are really keen. And that's the great thing I've seen really like from my role is that although I'm the men's rep, all of those people on that advisory board from parts of women's netball are so keen as well to help. And it's been really cool to A to represent men's netball but to C kind of the enthusiasm that there definitely is from Bucks women's netball from GB Netball. And I think that if we can kind of channel that in a more structural way and get more representation from Bucks higher up the chain to really push men's netball then I think that we can go really far because from what I've seen being the Bucks men's rep there is really a keen tenacity to push men's netball further. And I think that if we can get more acknowledgement from Bucks and representation on an even higher level then I think that we can really continue to push the sport because the energy is there, the desire is there. It's just that we need maybe more recognition from Bucks in order to fully achieve some of the things that we're looking to achieve. - What do you think about funders, one club of poetry with obviously men's and mixed and the female side of the things in one banner, I suppose? - I think that my experiences mixed netball is the best stop gap to bringing guys into netball especially because again from my experience and most experienced guys haven't been playing netball for very long and it shouldn't be on the onus for women's clubs to 100% take the burden and this is you have to make men's netball work and mixed netball work but doing stuff like mixed netball it kind of brings in the experience of people from women's netball and it allows them to kind of teach and sort of provide the men with sort of here is the foundation, here is the blueprint for how we've done things. And I think that mixed netball is a great way to do that 'cause A, it provides more opportunity for women to play netball but it also kind of brings guys in in a way where it is hard truthfully to even put a team of 14 guys together at most universities to do a men's netball team. So having stuff like mixed netball is a really good way to give women more opportunity to play netball but also to kind of filter guys in, get them used to wear, have women's netball clubs or mixed netball clubs sort of show them the ropes and then they can kind of find their feet and push into men's netball. So I would say the mixed netball is really a really vital sort of bridge from bringing in into men's netball and I think that although I'm a big, obviously I'm the men's bucks wrap and my job is to push men's netball. I also play a lot of mixed netball and I see a lot of value in mixed netball as that kind of bridge for men's netball and I think we should be pushing mixed as well as men's. I think they're both very important. - Books tournament is 17th of November. So best way to enter, please. - So yes, so if you go onto the Emner website, there will be a description of the tournament. There will be a link to sign up. Jen, who's the Emner Development Officer. How are alongside me? We're kind of taking the lead in running this tournament. So if you go on the website, our names are there. You can contact one of us if you have any questions but that website kind of has everything that you need in terms of information and links to signing up, et cetera. - Josh and Kristin, thank you for your time. - Thank you. - The netball show is now also available via SkyQ and Sky Glass. select sports, and we're on the podcast trail.
Tristan Donaldson is the men’s rep on the BUCS netball advisory group. Find out about another tournament and how your team can get involved