StreetGames and Wales Netball have launched Blitz Netball® – a new netball format co-designed with young people from low-income communities across Wales.
Blitz Netball® is designed to be played anywhere and requires limited equipment, offering an informal and accessible version of the sport delivered on young people’s terms, right on their doorstep. The product is supported by an Activator Workshop and resources which provide volunteers, youth and community workers, sports coaches and young leaders with game ideas, basic rules, and fun ways to introduce netball to young people in their own communities.
StreetGames and Wales Netball were keen to better understand and address key barriers to participation in netball for young people living in low-income, underserved communities in order to develop an attractive offer in a safe, friendly and engaging environment with activities tailored to their interests.
To ensure that the end product was meaningfully co-produced with young people at its heart, StreetGames worked with three community organisations in North Wales – Aura Leisure & Libraries, Active Wrexham, and Coleg Cambria – to recruit a group of Young Advisors who were tasked with exploring the fundamentals of netball and the varied challenges experienced by their peers with accessing the sport.
Initial planning sessions were held in the community organisations’ own premises, with the Young Advisors working with StreetGames and Wales Netball staff, including Welsh Feather and Cardiff Dragons’ player Phillipa Yarranton, to share their lived experiences and perceptions of the sport. The Young Advisors then came together at a ‘concept day’ to test and evaluate their co-designed activity and games, actively listening to feedback to refine their plans whilst working as a team to ensure that the activities and games were fun and accessible across a spectrum of needs, environments, and motivations.
Claire Lane, StreetGames National Director for Wales, said:
“We are delighted to have worked with Wales Netball on this project and are thrilled with the outcome. By actively involving young people in the design process, we have developed an offer that truly reflects their needs and interests. This initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of listening to and valuing youth perspectives.”
Keira Edwards, Wales Netball’s Head of Participation, said:
“Working with StreetGames and learning from their expertise to create a version of our sport for young people, designed by young people has been brilliant. We’re so excited to see Blitz Netball® come to life over the coming months and years, and can’t wait to welcome the new faces Blitz Netball® brings to the Wales Netball family.”
