International honour

Chair of Army Netball Colonel Charlotte Winship has been busy preparing the British Army squad for a clash with Malawi as they warm up for the Vitality Netball Nations Cup.

You might think it surprising that an Army side is taking on the team ranked seventh in the world but as Colonel Winship points out the strength and depth of Army Netball is becoming more and more impressive, despite the obvious availability issues that come with running a side whose players can be called away at any moment. We caught up with Colonel Winship to hear more about her experiences playing and leading netball in the British Army.

So you are now Army Netball Chair, but did you play as well?

Yes, absolutely. I came into Army Netball as a player in 2011 so I’ve been a player and captain and done pretty much every managerial role! I was offered the Chair in 2022 and it really is a great privilege. Army Netball has just gone from strength to strength, so much so that we are now quite literally credible opposition for training international teams.

That’s an incredible achievement!

Yeah, it’s really cool. Within our squad alone we’ve got Amy Howell, who played for Surrey Storm last season and Dee Bolakoro who has played for both Severn Stars and Cardiff Dragons and starts for the Fiji Pearls. There is real depth in the squad too, the talent we’ve got for a non-national team is unbelievable. Not to mention one of our coaches is Jo Vann, former Team Bath coach. We’ve actually played a few international teams now and actually won matches.

The British Army netball team in action

So is Army Netball just about the elite end of the sport?

No, it is much more than just an elite sports team. We have a strong focus on grass roots participation, getting people into the sport and then providing opportunity and development. We have various competitions, starting at individual unit and up to single service which enables us to talent spot effectively. We’ve also used the success of Army Netball to raise the profile of women in the Army but also to attract men into the sport. At the moment we are featured in a recruitment campaign, you may have spotted us on the TV! It is a great tool for recruitment, especially for women when we are looking to increase the diversity of the Army.

As far as participation goes, I think we now fully reflect society. So as the popularity of netball and its success on the national and international stage have increased, we reflect that within our own forces population. We are fortunate also to have Commonwealth soldiers within the Army – a lot of the Commonwealth countries focus on netball early in schools, it’s popular and intrinsic to them, and we have Commonwealth soldiers, both men and women playing both Army, and at the International level.

And what’s your impression of the partnership with England Netball?

Well, what a privilege to be associated with the governing body and our Vitality Roses! We definitely share the same values and I think we both represent the strength of women in sport and aim to inspire younger generations through this. We understand how important sport is and the benefit it brings. Netball is rather unique in its demographic, it is highly accessible and so plays a part in reducing the sports gender inequality gap. What England Netball and the Army know, is that netball is the ultimate team sport and that’s what we are all about; the team.

So tell me more about the Malawi game.

We’ll provide a warm up match for them prior to the 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup. To prepare, we’re going to France the weekend before to play the French national team. The match itself is on the 29 January in Loughborough, first centre pass is 1900. Its free and open to the public so everyone is welcome to come watch. Its also being live-streamed on our British Forces network (BFBS).

And how do you pick the team. It must be incredibly popular?

We’ve actually got five different squads. We’ve got Masters, which is over 35s, Mens, Mixed and then Open and Development teams. We will select the competition squad from the best. We’ve got a fairly established Open team at the moment, which has won our Inter Services match for the last seven years. But the challenge we face is we might have all these amazing players on paper, but the Army is extremely committed around the world. Some of our star players are deployed overseas and we just can’t get them back! But we do have a lot of depth and can replace people as needs arise. For the coach, it’s a really unique (and challenging) coaching experience as you could select your best seven only to have it all change overnight!

And what does being Chair involve?

I look after everything to do with Army Netball! I have an amazing civilian team within British Army Sports who manage the operational side of things and also a management structure of serving Officers and Soldiers. I provide advice and guidance and am the authority for decision-making. I often have to negotiate with Commanding Officers to try and get players released, and this is not always easy as their operational commitments must come first. I am definitely a hands-on Chair though and love being with the team. I still play in a civilian league too and play Masters when I have time.