Listen and learn!

When Jean Robinson, President for the 50th anniversary in 1976, Lindsay Sartori, in post for the 90th anniversary in 2016, and Eboni Usoro-Brown, our current President, get together it’s well worth listening!

Jean was President in 1976 but also England captain in 1962 and in the first world tournament in Eastbourne in 1963, although she couldn’t play due to a back injury.

Lindsay was President at the 90-year celebration, marked by a Guinness Book of Records game, and did so much to put things in place for what is happening today.

And Eboni is current President, with a 15-year playing career, including 117 caps, three netball World Cups, four Commonwealth Games and of course that historic gold in 2018.

Let’s talk about history and heritage and your experience, Jean, what are your memories of the 50-year celebration?

Jean: How long have you got? I was very proud to be President at the 50th anniversary. I was in at the deep end as it was only just after my appointment, so I had to do a lot of last-minute research for my speech but it went down well. In my time, we didn’t have a board or employees, we had a council made up of the chair, the officers and a regional rep, who were expected to go to the council meetings. If the regional rep was good, she made notes, she listened, she took the information back to her committee, which would then give that information to county reps on the regional committee, who would in turn take it to their clubs. This was how information travelled down, and you can see the drawbacks can’t you! By the time it got to club level there was really nothing there.

When I was President, I made it a point of trying to bridge the gap between the members and the officers and I went round the country while there were celebration events going on. I made it known that if they wanted me to attend as President, then I would, so I had lots of invitations. I tried to tell them what was going on behind the scenes so that they could play netball,

Lindsay, you played an instrumental role in getting the National Lottery funding grant for the archive, so what’s it like to reflect on those celebrations?

Lindsay: First, just to say that the Guinness Book of Records game [most players in an exhibition game with 1,322 players participating in a match that lasted for 90 hours] was one of the first times I realised the Netball Family was so strong. At about 1am we were running short of players for the 3-5am slot, so we basically put out an SOS – it was the early days of social media – and we must have had about 30 people turn up from all parts of London, Hertfordshire and Essex, to ensure that we got that record.

As for the funding, I can’t take all the credit. Paul Clarke was the power behind the application for around £50,000 which enabled us to employ a Product Officer, and the idea was really to preserve the archive material that we had. There is now a digitisation project, which still has a long way to go but one of the great things in it is the netball magazines, which start back in 1933. Comparing the modern ones with them is so revealing.

Eboni, what has been your most memorable moment?

Eboni: I think my proudest moment was getting into an England squad for the first time. To get the opportunity to represent the badge on the front of your dress rather than the name on the back, is indescribable really. To walk out and hear an 8,000-strong crowd sing the national anthem and have everyone behind you, to know that you’re part of a really special and privileged group.

I think those wobbly leg moments started when I was a little girl, up to where I am now as a gold medal winner but also as a mother trying to teach my daughter the game and allow her passion for it to come through. It makes me really proud to be part of this community as the sport continues to grow and thrive.

When I got the nod to become President I was really taken aback. If I think of what netball has given me – confidence, self-esteem, the ability to set goals, to be part of a community that will always be my family – as President I want to make sure that those who come after me have the same opportunity. We’ve got to make sure netball has a place within the women’s sport sphere that leads to commercial investment. But things like NETBALLHer, the education around not just the athlete but women in general, is just as important as results on the court, so as President it’s really about storytelling and amplifying those messages.

Jean, I’m interested to know what you think are the biggest changes from when you were playing to what you’re watching now?

Jean: I think the main change is that there is much more movement now. When we had the centre pass in my time, you had to stand in your positions and you didn’t move until the whistle went. Compared to today’s game it must have seemed a bit static, although it looked a bit more flowing when you got the ball going down and the timing was right it just went down beautifully.

Lindsay you’re big on volunteers and young people, why is that so important?

Lindsay: I never played for England, the highest I got was a regional round of National Schools, but what I got from grassroots netball, like many 9-, 10- or 11-year-olds who are starting the game, is the confidence to apply their skills in the best way possible. I play Walking Netball with some people who haven’t played since they left school but they still have those memories, that sense of team, the confidence that they got as a 9-, 10- or 11-year-old, even in their 60s and 70s. I am very grateful for everything that netball has given me and I know there are lots of grassroots netballers out there who would say similar.

And finally, Eboni, what would you like your legacy to be?

Eboni: We used to say we’re trying to leave the dress in a better place than when we picked it up. For me, leading from the front in terms of what we know and understand now, engaging with young people, making sure that their voices are heard, making sure that the members are part of the community, that their voices are also heard to ensure we shape tomorrow in the best possible way we can. That’s the most important thing, that we create a happy inclusive environment for all of us to thrive.