An initiative by England Netball has been set up for young girls to teach them more about their bodies, and Merseyside players can use this to help maximise performance.
As like any sport, an essential part of netball is is a player’s wellness, and Netballher aims to highlight this.
Jodie Gaskell is the Netballher Merseyside Officer and Ambassador.
She said: “It (Netballher) is to promote female and girls’ health in netball, helping, supporting them, educating them and empowering them through the key stages of their life.
“So that is when we go through puberty, periods and talking and educating around bras and the most appropriate kit, pre and postnatal and menopause.”
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England Netball says 64% of girls drop out of sport when they hit puberty and schemes like Netballher provide information and an opportunity to remain in sport.
Gaskell said: “It is an absolute travesty.
“The reasons that are citied are around period symptoms, inappropriate kit, body image concerns, lack of self confidence and self-esteem. My role is to promote this initiative through a range of different forums.”
The programme is reducing the statistics by urging girls to talk about their bodies. The St Helens Bees under-11s coach said: “We just need to be able to break down these taboos and help open the conversation.”
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Gaskell hosted the Period Power event at her club St Helens Bees Netball to break stigmas and taboos around puberty and periods with companies who specialise in period underwear and sports bras in attendance.
Held at Sutton Leisure Centre, the event allowed players a chance to celebrate all things female. The girls also got the chance to educate themselves with access to information from experts in female anatomy and physiology.
To find funding for the event, the Merseyside Ambassador went through the Proceeds of Crime Fund, put on by Merseyside Police.
She said: “I stood up and read out a speech as to why it is so incredibly important to keep our girls engaged in sport.
“Sport pretty much mirrors life at the end of the day, it helps us build that resilience, helps us work with each other and for each other.”
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Kelly Gordon, Netballher Executive Lead, attended the event and is keen to work with Gaskell to push the event nationwide due to its success.
Netballher also offers a learning course that anyone can take, coaches, parents and players which informs and provides resources for those who take it to understand the issues surrounding our understanding of female health.
