Netball continues to put participants first in the midst of national lockdown

In the middle of the 2020 national lockdown , a partnership between Netball New Zealand and NETFIT saw netball fitness and wellbeing brought to screens around the country for nearly 10 weeks. Hosts Laura Langman and Courtney Tairi, both former Silver Ferns, provided Kiwi netballers all the fitness, skill, nutrition and wellbeing content they would need to survive lockdown.

Live and free online and on SKY Sport, Langman and Tairi were joined by various elite players and coaches including Irene van Dyk and Dame Noeline Taurua who shared their lockdown stories, insights into their professional careers and an array of tips & tricks to level up both on and off the court. Each 2 hour show was full of laughs, watching Laura refine her skills in the kitchen, do a skill session with balloons or workout in an outfit that matched the daily theme (think bike helmets, ski goggles and PJ’s).

As the Fern’s most capped player of all time, Langman had plenty of wisdom to share and she loved that the live programme showed when “we do skills and drills, it doesn’t always come easy to us either. You’ll see me drop a tennis ball and run down the driveway to stop it.” Tairi encouraged viewers to use what they had at home to stay active, using spaghetti cans as weights and socks as cones. In one of the most popular segments, Tairi interviewed Dame Noeline Taurua on everything from selecting a team to the importance of sleep and cultural diversity.

The support of partners ANZ, NZ Police, Special K and Netball Smart allowed young players to get their netball fix despite all local competitions being cancelled. Netball New Zealand CEO Jennie Wyllie was excited the online programme “kept our netball communities engaged with the sport in unprecedented circumstances.”