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World Netball releases second episode of its Our Netball Family Podcast, focusing on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

World Netball has today released the second episode of its Our Netball Family Podcast, (available on Apple podcastsGoogle podcasts and Podbean) looking back at the successful Birmingham 2022 (B2022) Commonwealth Games with Technical Delegate Ian Holloway, as well as some volunteers from the event.  

Ian, who works for World Netball member, England Netball, as their Director of the Vitality Netball Superleague and Competitions, was appointed by World Netball back in November 2020 for the volunteer role as Technical Delegate for B2022.

 

As Technical Delegate Ian’s role saw him work with the organising committee at B2022, to ensure that the netball competition was a success and in line with World Netball’s rules and regulations, signing off lots of key decisions.

 

In this episode, host Sophie Reynolds talks to Ian about the highs and lows of his B2022 experience, the importance of volunteers to netball and his journey in events management.

 

Speaking on his experience Ian said: “On reflection, having gone through the challenges that all sports have been through the past two years with COVID, I almost feel that netball has been significantly impacted being an indoor sport, close contact, that kind of thing, so seeing record numbers of crowds in Birmingham, session after session, and the atmosphere that those people created and the buzz that was created through the delivery of the sport,

 

“I think for me that is the highlight,”

 

Ian was also full of praise for the other volunteers at B2022 that made his job easier: “Throughout my role in netball, volunteers have been absolutely essential in everything I have done,

 

“Essentially volunteers are the backbone of the delivery of this sport and everything that we do.

 

“From a Birmingham perspective, volunteers were essential, and like in all sports, the competition and the sport just couldn’t survive without them.

 

“I think the energy and the passion they brought to Birmingham was an absolute key driver…and really actually got me through it.”

 

The Our Netball Family Podcast was set up by World Netball to shine a light on the role’s different members of the Netball Family play, which often go unnoticed, and so it was important in this episode to also hear from otherB2022 volunteers.

 

Lorna Dermody, Ian Kembery and Michele Walker were just three of the volunteers working in the netball venue during B2022, and we caught up with them during the event to see how their experience was going.

 

Both Ian and Lorna had never watch netball before volunteering, but after spending 10 days in and around the Netball Family they soon fell in love with the sport.

 

Lorna said: “I had never watched netball, when I found out that I was working on the netball I was a bit nervous because I thought this is a sport I don’t know a lot about, I don’t know the rules.

 

“I have watched the rules on the TV screen befor the game and now I am a bit addicted!

 

“I found myself watching the netball yesterday, it was my day off and I was watching it in my campervan on the laptop.

 

“The Netball Family are super friendly, I have loved meeting them and I love their passion for the game and it really rubs off on the volunteers.”

 

Ian added: “I am hooked [to netball], I have seen probably in the region of 20, 20 plus games, it is so fantastic, it is exciting, it is everything that I enjoy in sport.”

 

To find out more about what Ian Holloway, Lorna Dermody, Ian Kembery and Michele Walker had to say listen to Episode 2 of the Our Netball Family podcast now, available on Apple podcasts, Podbean and Google podcasts.

 

If you enjoy listening, please leave a review and rating and follow us so that you don’t miss an episode.

 

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3yH9xDW

Google Podcasts:  bit.ly/3AFxMDV

Podbean: bit.ly/3P5LjIN

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