Since 1994
Our story
One netball, one borrowed basketball and a handful of women on an outdoor court. Thirty-two years later, more than a hundred members across nine squads.
How it started
Ripley Netball Club began on Monday 20 June 1994, on the outdoor court at Ripley Leisure Centre, with only a handful of women.
All the equipment we had was one netball, one borrowed basketball and coloured sashes — not even positional bibs. From that handful of people we soon grew into two squads.
Over the years we have trained at a number of venues around Ripley and Amber Valley. It became clear early on that our members did not just want to train and play matches. They wanted the social side and the fundraising too, and that is still true today.
- 1994Founded, on an outdoor court
- 100+Members today
- 9Squads, juniors to adults
I’m incredibly proud to have founded the club in 1994 and to see how much it has grown over the years. It’s been wonderful watching our players develop and progress, both on and off the court, and one of the most rewarding things has been seeing the many lasting friendships that have been formed through the club.
Recognition
England Netball CAPS
Silver
CAPS is England Netball’s Clubs Action Planning Scheme — the same idea as CharterMark in other sports, awarded at Bronze, Silver and Gold. It means going through a great many checks and proving the qualifications are in place across coaching, umpiring, child protection and first aid. We hold Silver, and we would like to think Gold is not too far away.
Awards we have been honoured with
- Amber Valley Club of the Year — twice
- Amber Valley Coach of the Year
- Derbyshire Sport Coach of the Year
- Derbyshire Netball Coach of the Year
- East Midlands Netball Grassroots Coach of the Year
- Ripley & Heanor News Sportswoman of the Year
The people who make it work
Our umpires
Our players have gained a lot of qualifications over the years — Level 1 and 2 coaches, C and B award umpires, and many juniors through the Youth Umpire Award. Eight of them went on to become C award umpires, one of whom was the youngest qualified umpire in the country, at 12 years and 3 months.
Our volunteers
Three of our members have been invited to England Netball’s Goalden Globe awards, in recognition of completing four hundred voluntary hours each for the ‘pass on your passion’ scheme. The club runs on people like that.
Where players go
We encourage players to attend Derbyshire Academy trials and many have been successful, going on through the county performance pathway with Nottinghamshire County Netball. Several have played for Loughborough Lightning across the age groups, and two have gone to England trials. See the full pathway.
Our kit
It has not always been navy and sky blue. We started in red pleated skirts and white polo shirts, with bibs that were not even patch bibs. We have come a long way — and we must have been one of the first clubs to actually wear dresses on court.
Why it works
We think the key to the club is that it keeps hold of its players. We have been, and always will be, a friendly club with a warm and welcoming family atmosphere. Our junior section is always fully subscribed, and a lot of the people here have been here a very long time.
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