Cumberland Hosts Junior Schools Tournament

Cumberland Netball Club hosted a junior schools tournament this month at Camden Sports pitch, supported by England wing-attack Chioma Ezeogu, to encourage new youth players into the club.

Twenty-six year old Chioma, who has 20 caps for England, ran the warm up, answered questions, gave advice to budding netballers and signed balls and shirts for the attendees. She also presented prizes to the winning school teams, she said: “It was so refreshing to see so many young and pleasant players, from different backgrounds and ages having fun, being competitive and enjoying netball. There were really good skills, raw talent, enthusiasm and an energy that can only be described as a pleasure to watch. Not only was the event well organised but the club members were obviously passionate about improving participation in netball. I also thought involving parents brought a different edge which I feel is so important especially with young players - it made me feel very confident about netball’s future.”

Club chair Lindie Champion said: “The event was a fantastic success. We had an excellent turn out of local school teams to participate. All the girls were enthusiastic and keen to learn. By encouraging new members to the club we hope to help develop the skills of young netballers in the North London area and increase participation in netball generally. By joining a club at a young age you are exposed to a level of netball that you won’t experience in school leagues. We welcome more youth club members this year and hope to grow our youth teams in the future.”

Cumberland would like to thank sponsors Running Bare, Sustainable Land PLC and Access Sport for their monetary support that has helped buy equipment and new kit for the junior squad.

England wing-attack Chioma Ezeogu and Club Chair, Lindie Champion with one of the winning teams.