How to support your volunteer coaches

From early Saturday mornings to weeknight training sessions, local netball courts come alive with energy, effort, and laughter. But behind every thriving community netball club is a group of people who rarely get the spotlight: volunteer coaches, most of whom are parent helpers.

They are mums and dads who put their hands up, not because they’re trained coaches, but because the team needed someone. They stay up late Googling “easy netball drills” and spend hours wondering if they’re doing it right, clubs struggle every year to get enough people to say yes. Sound familiar?

If your club is like thousands of others around the world, you’re powered by these volunteers. And it’s time we gave them the support they deserve because good coaching shouldn’t be a lottery and coaching is not what you think it is. 

The Challenge: Coaching Without a Coaching Background (and you coach how you were coached!)

For many parent helpers, coaching can be daunting:

• “What do I do at training?”
• “What if I get it wrong?”
• “How do I keep the kids engaged?”
• “Will they listen to me?”

They love the game, they care about the players—but they often lack the confidence, experience, and resources to deliver fun, purposeful sessions week after week. Many will coach how they were coached, drill drill drill and finish with a game if they have time. 

Too often, this leads to burnout, frustration, or even coaches stepping away. That’s not good for clubs, players, or the future of community netball. The people we coach today are the coaches of tomorrow. 

We know community coaches are such a core part of netball it was one of the biggest reasons we choose netball for our latest deck of MatchPlay Cards. 

“ I want Netball MatchPlay Cards to be your club’s new best friend, when you get given your kit at the start of the year as a volunteer coach, Netball MatchPlay Cards need to be in there . A small investment that’ll have long term impact on players and coaches” - Jack Rolfe, Founder of The Coaching Lab

These challenge cards are a game-based coaching tool created to make life easier for coaches and better for players because no player likes to stand in a line watching others play. Whether you’re running a junior training session or leading walking netball at the local leisure centre, Netball MatchPlay Cards help you deliver sessions in seconds. 

Team Challenges – Spark collaboration, build leadership, and change how teams approach each game.

Player Challenges – Encourage individual focus on key netball skills like movement, passing, defending, or communication.

Progressions and Adaptations – Need to simplify or step up the challenge? Each card includes variations to suit mixed ability groups or different age levels.

Coach Prompts – Helpful questions to guide your feedback, keep things player-centred, support reflection and coach mixed ability groups with ease.

Each card offers a ready-to-use challenge that can be dropped straight into any training. They’re quick to understand, easy to deliver, and built to encourage decision-making, teamwork, and game understanding (important game skills if you ask us!)

Why Volunteer Coaches and Community clubs love Netball MatchPlay Cards

No Planning Needed: Whether you’ve got 5 minutes or 5 hours, Netball MatchPlay Cards are ready to go. Pick them, add them and play them. Perfect for those who coach after work or between school pick-ups.

Built for Mixed Abilities and performance: Not all players (or teams) are the same. Netball MatchPlay Cards support inclusive coaching with adaptable challenges that suit new starters and more experienced players alike. What challenges will you set your players?

Confidence Through Games: Giving your coaches a deck of Netball MatchPlay Cards to help their coaching will support them to feel empowered, not overwhelmed. By focusing on game-based learning, they remove the pressure to “instruct” and replace it with facilitation, exploration, and fun.

More Fun, Less Stress: Let’s be honest—players come to training to play. These cards get the ball rolling faster and keep sessions dynamic, energetic, and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Reduce Coach Turnover: Supported coaches are more likely to stick around and grow with your club.

Improve Player Experience: Engaging sessions lead to better learning, more smiles, and higher retention. Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

Develop a Coaching Culture: The cards spark conversations between coaches, mentors, and players. They help create a shared language and consistent coaching approach across your age groups.

Create Pathways for Junior Leaders: Older players and young leaders can use Netball MatchPlay Cards to assist with training, boosting their development and club involvement.

“We handed out Netball MatchPlay Cards to all our U9 to U12 parent coaches at the start of the season. Within weeks, we saw a huge difference—not just in how confident they were, but in how much the kids were enjoying the sessions. The cards gave our volunteers a starting point and a safety net.” — Mel, Club Coordinator, South Coast Netball

At The Coaching Lab, we believe every coach deserves the tools to succeed, whether they’re chasing national titles or just trying to herd a group of 10-year-olds to not be bees around honey when they step onto the court. 

Netball MatchPlay Cards were designed with grassroots coaches in mind—especially those parent helpers who make the game happen. Let’s support them, back them, and make their coaching journey a rewarding one. 

Access club deals to support your coaches here.