Mintridge Bronze Netball Programme with Pamela Cookey – Roedean School, March 2022

“Remember, you are all the best at something, you just need to find what that something is!”

It was an exciting day for all the students who were joining Roedean School for a day of netball on our very sunny Tuesday in Brighton, as they were visited by England Netball legend, Pamela Cookey, for our Bronze Netball Programme.

Team Mintridge were delighted to be back with the staff and students at Roedean School and the neighbouring schools who were visiting for the day as we had the pleasure of delivering a fun and very inspirational programme for the students to inspire them to be the best athletes they possibly can be, as well as showing them a thing or two on the netball court from with Netball superstar, Pamela Cookey.

Pamela welcomed the students to the court during the morning to take on some exciting netball challenges and work on their attacking skills, just like Pamela would practise when competing for England.

The girls all had a brilliant morning learning from the amazing Pamela Cookey and working with new people they hadn’t met before from different schools. They worked extremely hard during the sessions with Pamela and put their new skills into action during the small-sided games she set up for them.

During our visit, Pamela shared snippets of her career in netball and her double life off the court. Not only has Pamela been an England Netball captain, but she is also a successful businesswoman and has taken on numerous leadership roles in different businesses, during her career so far. Pamela also shared some top tips for success with the students and some key things she has learnt along her journey to success, which helped them understand more about how they can balance their academic work and sport at the same time.

“I had to learn to be better and be stronger… I knew if I wanted to play internationally I needed to up my game.”

During the presentation, the students all took a moment to write down their aspirations for our golden post box and took their opportunity to ask Pamela any questions they had. Some of the best questions were:

Who was the hardest team you had to play against?

What other sport would you play if you didn’t play netball?

Who are your role models?

How did you injure your Achilles?

How many goals have you scored in total?

Which county was the easiest one to play against?

Are any of your teammates still playing professionally?

To round off a brilliant day for all of the students, Pamela walked around the courts while the teams were taking part in a tournament against each other, to celebrate the students who were working hard and putting their new skills into their games.

Pamela and Team Mintridge really enjoyed our day at Roedean School and we are so pleased to be invited back to help inspire the next generation of young athletes. We celebrated our inspirational day with a presentation before we left and Pamela awarded the students she had spotted on the court a certificate and medal.

Thank you very much to the staff and students from Roedean School and the students from their neighbouring schools, for welcoming us to Brighton for a brilliant day of netball.

To see the photos or video from our day at Roedean School, please contact the staff at the school.

If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes or to book a programme for your school or club with one of our inspirational Mintridge Ambassadors, please contact Katie Smith.

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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