Coaches from across the Pacific and Australia came together at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra for a Coach Development Program led by Australia’s top netball experts.

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The workshop was supported by the Australian Government through the PacificAus Sports program, and was led by Australian experts Julie Fitzgerald AM and Jon Fletcher, with support from Stacey Marinkovich, Anita Keelan AM, and Beryl Friday.

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Head Coach of the Origin Australian Diamonds Stacey Marinkovich hosted a dedicated Q&A session, providing a space for coaches to openly discuss challenges, ideas, and experiences.

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Marinkovich expressed how valuable the session was for herself as well as participants.

“Sharing your experiences and hearing you’re not alone, that’s the strength of learning together.”

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Jordan Lameta, Workforce Development Coordinator shared his learnings on building a safe team culture.

“A key takeaway has been that your players are people before they are athletes. A lot of the time we expect them to turn up to trainings and perform at a high level, but we don't always think about the things they could be going through at home, work, or school. This week highlighted the importance of getting to know your players, being vulnerable, and creating the space and the environment that they feel comfortable enough to grow as both athlete and individual.”

 

Jordan was joined by Mary Sharon Schwalger Fidow to represent Samoa in this program and learning experience as part of an ongoing partnership between Pacific Netball and the Australian Government through the Pacific Aus Sports program to strengthen and upskill the region’s participating netball countries.

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Read More: https://netball.com.au/news/coaches-unite-canberra