Family ties keep Ferns focused
THEY’RE the players’ most ardent supporters but potentially their biggest distractions.
There isn’t a New Zealand or Australian netballer who isn’t happy to have their mums and dads, partners or husbands, and even children in a couple of cases, floating around during the World Cup.
Throw in friends and former team-mates too and there’s a virtual cast of thousands who’ve converged on Sydney to share this experience with the players.
Olympic Park, where the teams are staying and playing, is a dull sort of place, so the friendly faces can provide a welcome dose of real life. But only in the right circumstances, apparently.
Nothing is allowed to divert the athletes, as Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander calls them, from the task at hand. So much so, that Australia have even designed a set of protocols, to avoid any unwanted upset, ‘‘Parents and
It was first used at last year’s Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, but is of greater importance now, given this is a home event for the Diamonds.
‘‘We’ve said: you’re part of the team, so we need you to know what your role is,’’ Alexander said of the players’ loved ones.
‘‘As part of that, the athletes understand too that they need their families and they need that support but they need that in a certain way. So what we’ve tried to do is educate the families around what’s the best level of support, what’s going to assist us and how can they be the team behind the team.’’
The Silver Ferns aren’t quite so prescriptive, but do have a similar set-up in place.
‘‘A few of the girls’ families are here already but not a lot. Most of them are coming for finals and things,’’ defender Katrina Grant said. known as Partners the Programme’’.
‘‘So we’ve got our own family Facebook page so they’re always connected with us no matter what and we give them updates on what we’re doing.
‘‘We don’t want them to feel they’re excluded when we’re in our tight team unit but they understand, and we understand, when we can be with them and when we can’t.
‘‘They’re definitely part of it and at the game we always know where they’re sitting. They come to the hotel afterwards and we can see them. It’s a balancing act.’’
The World Cup has reached an interesting point, with the better teams to play each other from here on. After Jamaica yesterday, the Silver Ferns meet Malawi today and then have tomorrow off before Friday’s clash with Uganda.
That’s pool E. In pool F, the Diamonds played England yesterday and South Africa today, then have a day off to prepare for their match against Wales.
From there it’s semifinals and the final.