‘Now I play for three different teams’

michelle Pearce, 45, lives in Kent with her husband matthew, 46,

and their children megan, 17, and twins Joe and Caitlin, 12.

Leaping like a spring, I catch the netball in mid-air and launch it on to the next player before my feet have barely touched the ground.

I may be a mum-of-three, but after years of dodging Lego pieces on the floor and chasing my kids around the park, playing netball is second nature.

Like most girls, I played netball in PE when I was younger, but although I enjoyed our weekly matches at school, by the time I started working I’d stopped playing.

At 18, I met my husband Matthew, and in January 2000 we had our first child Megan, followed by our twins, Joe and Caitlin, in March 2005.

My days were busy, fitting in the school run around working as an administrator, but when the children got older, I was eager to find something for myself that would be a break from my routine. When my friend mentioned a local Back to Netball programme she’d been going to, I was intrigued. But I hadn’t played netball in over 20 years – what if I dropped the ball or forgot the rules? I didn’t want to embarrass myself. But my friend reassured me that everyone was a beginner, so there was no judgement. The coach, Joy, was in her seventies and made everyone welcome.

When I turned up to the first session and saw how diverse the range of ages were, I stopped feeling self-conscious. We started off with a gentle warm-up, followed by a game. Although it was tiring, by the end my body was buzzing with adrenaline.

I returned every week after that. Six months later, I joined a league. By now I could play a whole match without getting stitch, and my arms and legs were more toned than ever.

I now play for three different teams and have made loads of new friends. I’m so glad I gave it another go.

‘by the end my body was buzzing’