Natalie Panagarry gives Superleague masterclass
Former England Vitality Roses netballer Natalie Panagarry has delivered a masterclass to University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) students.
UCLan Netball Club trained with the former international and Superleague player who put them through their paces at UCLan’s Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre.
The session was delivered as part of UCLan’s partnership with Elite Netball Academy, which works with the performance and second UCLan teams on weekly training sessions and offers support at games and tournaments throughout the year.
"I’m really impressed with the standard and commitment from everyone and it’s exciting to see this level of play being developed at University."
— Former England Vitality Roses netballer Natalie Panagarry
Natalie, who has 17 caps for her country, is also an Elite Netball Performance Coach Consultant. She said: “Tonight I’m showing the players what coaching at Superleague level is like.
“I’m really impressed with the standard and commitment from everyone and it’s exciting to see this level of play being developed at University.”
UCLan’s relationship with Elite Netball plays a key part in the University’s ambitious plans to take its performance team to the highest levels of the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sports) League and attract top players through its scholarship programme.
Professional policing student Maisie Rogers, 20, plays for Blackpool Netball Club in the National Premier League, which is the top level of amateur netball in the country, and is one of four current netball scholarship students at UCLan.
"It’s fantastic to be coached by Nat and learn from her experience. I feel very privileged."
— Scholarship student Maisie Rogers who also plays for Blackpool Netball Club
“I am lucky to play alongside others who are as committed as I am to pushing towards the same goal of promotion” she said. “It’s fantastic to be coached by Nat and learn from her experience. I feel very privileged.”
Fellow netball scholar 20-year-old Cody Willis, who is studying adult nursing, said: “Being on a scholarship has helped me enormously. I’ve had help with juggling work placements around games, as well as having access to strength and conditioning sessions and physio and rehab support when I was injured earlier this year.”
The UCLan performance team plays in Tier Two of the BUCS League, following back-to-back promotions over the last two seasons, and has long-term ambitions to reach the Premier Tier.
"The relationship with Elite Netball Academy has continued to provide high quality opportunities for our netball players to refine their skills and we are looking forward to seeing netball excel at UCLan."
— Kate Youngman, Performance Manager at UCLan
Kate Youngman, Performance Manager at UCLan, added: “What a fantastic experience for the UCLan netball teams to receive coaching from such an established and experience player at the highest level.
“The relationship with Elite Netball Academy has continued to provide high quality opportunities for our netball players to refine their skills and we are looking forward to seeing netball excel at UCLan.”
