Netball Scotland: Claire Nelson outlines vision for future
- Published
Claire Nelson believes women's sport has a crucial role to play post-lockdown
"I'm on a mission and I believe in what I'm doing."
Netball Scotland chief executive Claire Nelson is juggling family life and helping to steer the sport through the coronavirus pandemic.
Netball was one of four Scottish sports to share a £1m Scottish government grant to mitigate the absence of crowds this week, with some funding going to Strathclyde Sirens, the country's only professional team.
The Sirens are playing competitively again in the Superleague - with matches played behind closed doors - but grassroots netball has yet to resume nationwide.
"It will be a slow, safe and gradual return," Nelson told BBC Scotland's Women In Sport podcast.
"It's about getting people out of their isolation, their lockdown and get them back into that thing that makes them feel connected and happy."
The 40-year-old mother of four believes that women's sport has a pivotal role to play in life post-lockdown.
"I believe that it can be very powerful in impacting and changing the way women see their bodies; the way we talk and the opportunities that we have. I see it as a platform for change and that's why it's so important," she said.
"This isn't just about a winning team and lifting medals, it's about what sport can do and the power that sport has on females. That's what keeps me going every day.
"I can't do things by half. I was never just going to clock in and clock out.
"It's been a challenge: having a big family and my two youngest daughters - who are 16 months apart. My youngest was born with a heart tumour and I found that out when I was pregnant.
"All of these forced huge changes in our lives in how we work, how we operate and what's important to us. Having four children - three daughters - and the youngest of which we really had to grapple with her health and whether she's going to survive, puts everything into perspective."
'Funding lifeline'
Nelson describes the £100,000 funding [for Strathclyde Sirens] to offset the absence of crowd income as "an absolute lifeline" that has got them through a difficult season.
"Netball Scotland is in a difficult position at the moment," she said. "Because we're an indoor team contact sport, when we suspended all netball almost exactly one year ago to the day, we haven't been able to restart.
"We have created a modified version of the game, which has yet to be approved by the Scottish government, but the biggest challenge we face is access to facilities.
"The majority of our clubs train in school halls, but the school estate is non-existent at the moment and we can't go into schools and start training with our clubs. And the local trusts, sports halls and leisure centres are all on their knees themselves.
"Our restart and recovery is reliant on us being able to access those facilities."
In terms of her own career, Nelson says: "I'm very passionate about what I do, but I understand where it sits in my life and it allows me to have a huge resilience. I know why I'm doing this, I'm doing it for my daughters and for my children to have a better life and for them to see a strong role model and a mum who uses her voice.
"So many people see the chief executive of something as like the end of the road; I feel like I'm at the beginning of something magnificent. My kids are at the age where they're coming on this journey with me."
You can listen to the full interview with Claire Nelson on the Women In Sport podcast, here.
The Fight of the Century - Ali v Frazier: A ringside seat at the fight that changed the world
Stephen Merchant: Hello Ladies: Delivering the laughs in his brilliant live show
Related topics
- Published10 July 2019
