Development of young players key, says McIntosh
SHE has been to many countries and has encountered different levels of netball development. And given her vast wealth of experience in the sport as a former Australian player and coach, Jill McIntosh has expressed pleasure with Jamaica’s netball programmes.
McIntosh, who was brought in by Netball Jamaica in 2010 to share her knowledge, has over the years been instrumental in the improvement and growth of the sport locally. She holds a level three coaching accreditation and an All Australia Umpiring Badge, both of which are the highest awards in their class.
McIntosh contested 29 Tests for Australia and then coached the national team for a further 94 Test matches, winning 88 of those. She led Australia to World Championship titles in 1995 and 1999 and Commonwealth Games gold medals in 1998 and 2002.
And as chair of the International Coaching Committee at the International Netball Federation (IFNA), McIntosh revealed that the training method in Australia is no different from that in Jamaica.
“Netball is about throwing, catching, moving and making decisions. So, as coaches, we are trying to make up new activities so that the players can practise those skills in new ways, but it is very similar here as it is in Australia — it is no different, really,” she explained.
“They are doing an excellent job right from the Pickney Netball….the little ones right up to the Sunshine Girls at the senior level. So there are programmes for all players, for all ages, and for all levels and all abilities here in Jamaica,” she added.
McIntosh’s tenure as technical director of the Sunshine Girls is set to come to an end after the Netball World Cup in her homeland in August.
But even as she gears up to bid the country farewell, she has encouraged the continuous development of young players.
“They must develop the skills, especially the youngsters after the Pickney Netball. So as they come in through the primary school and the secondary school, they would develop the proper skills of the game,” she said.
“It is about making sure that the players have the basic skills, which are the catching, throwing, moving, defending and shooting for goal. Once they do that well at a young age, they will only get better. So it is important, and I stress that anywhere I go,” she said.