Yvonne and the tale of the mop

One England Netball volunteer, Yvonne Williams, became something of a crowd favourite at the Nations Cup while cleaning the court, earning herself the nickname “Queen of the Mop”!

How was the whole mopping experience!?

I was taken by surprise, actually! I was just fulfilling my role and wiping the court so that the netballers could be safe. But I felt pretty embarrassed, so I was just waving my hand and smiling back. Now everybody wants to be a mop lady!

That’s pretty cool.

It is. Because I wasn’t going out to get any accolades or anything, I was just doing my role. But I always have a thing where if I’m doing something – volunteering or anything in life – I try to do it with excellence. I couldn’t just go out and do a shabby job. I’m not talking about perfection, but excellence, which is different.

When did you first get involved with volunteering?

I think I was ball girl, a team leader for England Netball at an event some years ago, and then it just carried on from there.

Did you love it straight away?

Oh yes! I mean, I was doing volunteering roles outside of netball anyway. I was a church usher and I did other roles elsewhere because I like sharing and doing things to help other people. And I’ve met loads of amazing people through volunteering. They’re all unique in themselves and we all get on well and work together. It’s like a family.

For me, it’s all about volunteering selflessly – providing a service, having a commitment to excellence and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. I hope my journey inspires others to approach their roles, big or small, with passion and joy. Proving that every action, no matter how modest, can make a significant difference. And for me it’s all about making that difference in people’s lives.

How important is it to have volunteers in netball? They’re sort of the beating heart of the sport, aren’t they?

Yes. Without volunteers, things won’t and don’t happen. Well, they happen, but there are loads of hiccups! When you’ve got volunteers doing their various roles, because everyone’s unique, it just helps put everything together smoothly. Without volunteers, we wouldn’t have the events we do. Spectators just see the end product, without knowing what’s happened behind the scenes.

We love the mop of course, but there are so many different roles that are needed at major netball events…

So many. And it is so important. The mopping looked a mundane role, but it’s important on court because if the floor’s wet, then you’re going to have injured players. Every role is important, from the Events Coordinator to those doing accreditation on the door. No role is more important than any other because everyone needs each other. Just like your head – your body needs every part to function.

How can we get more people involved?

I think doing magazine features like this helps! Showcasing what we do, hearing people’s experiences. You may have people that are wanting to get involved but just don’t know how.

Lovely, and what do you think is the best bit about volunteering?

The smiles on people’s faces for me. You are doing your role, but people are smiling, because you’ve done something that made their day. That’s so important to me.