The Netball Show
S7 Ep36: Yazz Brookes (11th July 2024)
(upbeat music) Knackknackoff here, online at flyhork.com, you can find the full range of their netball products, including hoodies, leggings, netballs, and so much more. There are even kit packages that suit everyone. They are available in UK sizes four to 24 and also in different lengths too. Plus, we can even send you a sample pack for a returnable fee to try some of the range. Get yours now. - The netball show with flyhork. Raising the bar for netball and winning sports. - Yasberg's ex-storm captain and you've set up a brand new netball academy, Nexus netball. Yas, first of all, right time to do something like this, isn't it? - Yeah, definitely. I think with Sorry Storm and Team Bath no longer having a Snoopy League team and unfortunately missing out on netball 2.0, I had a lot of athletes worried within the franchise about their future and where it's going to take them and what pathway they need to be on. Particularly being a player from the south, I've always looked back and looked at what pathways want offered to me and how grateful I am for the coaches and the support I had and the structure that was in place for me in terms of location, venues, everything was in like a bit of an hours radius. So when the Storm PDP girls were upset, not knowing what they were going to do with their future, I just felt like I had to do something, particularly my main focus is the girls in the south and southwest and I wanted to have something available for them where they could tap into like a location and a training venue using my knowledge and understanding of the game and kind of like using me as a resource to help them on their journey. And sometimes it might be that I'm just the kind of process before they then move on to the pathways, whether that's because they're moving on to university. So it's more available to them. So I kind of want to keep them in that structure, you know, 'cause obviously I was the head coach of the Hampshire Storm PDP. So I actually helped within the Storm pathway. So I trained the group below the MPL squads for under 17 and under 19. And I know how important it is to those players and obviously we're the feeders and to the MPL. So, you know, I felt like I've been the location that I was in the Southampton. I was more available to those players that could then join the pathway later. So to continue this and have my own academy was something, you know, I've thought about in the past, but now like this is probably the right time now to help support those players. - And academies like Nexus as well will be important just to keep that interest there, I suppose. - Yes, and that's the worry I had originally with not having anything local, you know, sorry Storm was only an hour at the road for us down the south. So, you know, it was readily available to us and the pathways being scattered around the south, obviously made it more accessible to those athletes to get onto the pathway to start their career. But, and again, with Team Bath as well, you know, I was there for five years. That's where I started my netball journey. I chose that university because the Super League franchise and the legends that it created. So I know there was a PDP in Salisbury, you know, again, only half an hour, an hour up the road for these athletes. So, you know, having Nexus available and local to these girls is going to help them. - Yeah, first experience in coaching netball, you said they're about Storm, but obviously had a senior netball that's won. And even that solid base in general at Blades as well. So what kind of things are you able to offer initially? - So yeah, that's, that's, you know, that's a great question. And I, you know, I think, (laughing) so I think about what I could give to these girls. And I think it's just the experience that I've had myself being a player and going through that, you know, I've had legends such as Jan Crabtree, who, you know, still coaches me at Blades. You know, I've got Shona Forbes at Blades, who's now the head of Northern Ireland, you know, she's also been within the England pathway herself. You know, Tams in Greenway, you know, you know, even Mickey Austin, I've had all of those incredible coaches that help give their pals a wisdom to me as a player. And I've just kind of, as a player, you just take note of that and the drills and the hard work and the environment. Yeah, even being part of England with Tracey Neville and Jess, it's, you know, it helps you take little small pieces of how you as an athlete can develop. You know, and it's not just the physical side and the mental side, but it's also like how we can be that holistic athlete. And that's what part of, that's what I'm gonna be incorporating into Nexus, is I'm gonna be offering some educational programmes as well. So it's not just building the athlete physically on the call, but it's like everything else. And, you know, I'm one of the test coordinators at H and College. I know how important it is to balance, you know, your education as well as your netball career. And these girls, until they get to that netball 2.0, once they get that contracted 10, they won't be like a full-time athlete. So it is about, you know, keeping those options open to them in terms of like universities, where they need to go, and what career paths as well as also developing their netball kind of journey alongside that. So, you know, hopefully what I've learned over the years, and I'm definitely not saying I'm a finished project. I've got so much more to learn. And I'm hoping that I'm learning alongside the coaches that I've already got. You know, hopefully I'll give more to the girls as I'm going through this process. You know, I've only been coaching like a few years. I'm learning stuff about me all the time and like my strengths and my weaknesses as a coach. So, I'm hoping that just being that player in those levels, you know, both England and with Super League, I can give my experience and my little pals wisdom to them, which hopefully they can then carry on when they achieve greatness within their netball careers. - And maybe for players as well that I'm part of a franchise, yeah? - Yeah, that's it. And that's what I'm really advocating with the terms of like the next is netball academy. You know, already we've had girls that have put in their interests in their trial form that may have not done it before. And it's just getting a bit of a taste into what the pathway is going to be like. You know, I'm very much aware that some of these girls don't have access to being able to go on these journeys. So like I said, if I can just be that, you know, that little pod, that central path where they get to come to me before they then go on their journeys. And that's, that's my job and I've done my part. And particularly, you know, like you said, it's helping those girls that may have just been only playing club level, get a taste of what the pathway netball is like. And then they can decide from there whether they want to continue with their netball career or whether they're happy just playing club level. And sometimes that's, you know, that's okay. You know, netball is there to be enjoyed by everybody. You know, and I just want to make sure that these players that might not necessarily thought about throwing their hat into the ring and going out the pathway that actually, if they get that experience from being at Nexus, it might encourage them to pursue that dream. Particularly, you know, we've got so much potential. There's so many athletes in the South that we, you know, express a lot, we are really good. And it's just a shame we haven't got anything local now for these girls to access. - Finally, guys, where can we find that more online? - So you can follow us on Nexus netball academy on our Instagram. We also have a Facebook page as well. The links are on the Instagram page. And on Facebook, if you just type in Nexus netball academy. We're currently in the process of creating our website. So that should hopefully be up and running in the summer. But again, any youngsters around the South that are playing like a club level and think that, you know, they're ready for this next journey. We are holding trials on the 22nd of July, but they do need to put a trial form in first for the first phase of trials. - Brilliant. Yes. Thanks for your time. Good luck. - No, thank you so much. Thank you for letting me come on here and talk about all things Nexus. - And keep us updated. - Yes, now I will. Thank you. - The netball show is now also available via Sky HD, Sky Q, and Sky Glass. Select sports and we're on the podcasts rail. (whooshing)
Ex Storm Captain and England Yazz Brookes has set up "Nexus Netball" and she tells us why the time was right to launch