Co-coaching can be tricky to navigate – but two dedicated coaches from Eastern Southland showed what can be possible when philosophies align. Sure, the focus is always on the scoreboard, but how big is the win when what happens on the court brings players and whānau together off it, contributing positively to a vibrant sporting community.
Eastern Southlands U18 coaches Jess Ingham and Hemaima Eichstaedt have achieved just that this season.
‘I see players from the team catching up with each other socially, and their parents who previously didn’t know each other, do the same – that’s special,” said Hemaima.
“Having recently moved to the area – developing a new whānau with the netball group – it has helped me and my family settle over the last three years. We’re pretty lucky with the Eastern Southland community. It’s our happy place – everyone’s so friendly and kind, and people go out of their way to help. The environment is so supportive of everyone coming through - players, coaches and umpires – it’s great,” said Hemaima.
The two coaches met on a bus coming home from a tournament last year.
“I was pregnant at the time and I knew that coaching on my own wasn’t going to be easy this season – I knew Hemaima had the skills, knowledge and similar values – it was a match made in heaven,” said Jess, who is also a NZC Umpire.
Once appointed to the U18 team, Eastern Southland successfully nominated them for the Netball South Introduction to Performance Coaching Programme. This allowed them to access mentoring from Southern Steel coaches Jo Morrison and Reinga Bloxham, be observed by former national coach Leigh Gibbs, and receive wrap-around support when they reached out for it.
“The programme has brought all these different opportunities together for us. One of the big learnings for me was reflecting on what’s happening on and off the court for each player, and then how as coaches we adapt to that,” noted Jess. “As well as the reassurance that you’re doing well - acknowledging your coaching style and being comfortable with that.”
And there’s been practical advice too.
“Jo and Reinga came and gave our defence a one-on-one session and brought in some Steel players to help. We were able to learn as coaches, and our defenders were able to grow and learn too. Other players in the team could also see the gains that our defensive team made – and were inspired to learn also,” said Hemaima.
Hemaima said a highlight was observing the Steel environment at both trainings and at their game.
“One of their coaching ideas was to send out job descriptions of player positions. We took that idea back with us. And our players went off and did their ones – breaking it right down to the simple steps. We were amazed - it helped them understand not only what their role was, but it helped them consider other roles too,” said Hemaima.
And then there’s this year’s performance at the U18 Champs.
“We went into that tournament down a key player – we had a hard pool with Hamilton, Wellington and Pukekohe – those are big Centres, but the biggest margin we had was nine, which we found encouraging,” said Jess.
“We didn’t place where we wanted (finishing 34th), but watching their skills develop over the tournament was wonderful and they just grew and grew and grew! Being exposed to such strong netball from other Centres, was so good,” said Jess.
Both coaches are clear on why they give their time to the game.
“I was lucky enough to have some pretty inspiring coaches – and being able to develop relationships with players and their families is special. It gives you a whole different appreciation for the game,” said Jess.
Hemaima, who was encouraged by her whānau to take up coaching, added that she loves seeing players ‘hit their golden moments.’
“You see their faces light up – and see their expression which says – yup, I just did that, and that was awesome! Watching that happen is so cool,” said Hemaima, who also coaches the St Peters College Senior A Netball team who came third in Eastern Premier One grade in 2024.
When asked about plans for next year, they admitted having a cheeky look at the latest Eastern Southland Committee minutes which allude to the chance of Eastern attending U18 Champs next season, and with many fresh ideas in their coaching toolkit they don’t think it will be a hard decision to commit to the task…if officially asked!