Known throughout New Zealand for her immeasurable impact across the coaching environment, the netball community is mourning the passing of Ivy Topping.
From her early years as a schoolgirl growing up in England, netball was an integral piece of Ivy’s DNA, and once emigrating to New Zealand 55 years ago, her enthusiasm, passion and boundless joy for the sport crossed generations of aspiring coaches and players.
In 1990, Ivy was appointed to what she considered her dream job, as one of the Coaching Officers for Netball New Zealand (NNZ) and with it, the responsibility of covering all provinces in the lower North Island. She was over the moon to be getting paid for something she loved. The role was a mixture of working with coaches and introducing coaching courses.
Ivy had 10 years in the role followed by three years with Sport Taranaki and Netball Taranaki. She was then lured away for the next seven years by Leigh Gibbs to be part of CoachForce with NNZ.
CoachForce had four coaches spread across the country with the focus being on coach development. Ivy’s region was from Waikato south in the North Island where she would run regional courses as well as joining the other coaches to run national courses.
During her stints with NNZ, there was plenty going on for Ivy. She wrote or rewrote seven books – ‘Defending’ which she would rewrite under ‘On Defence’ in her second term in the job; ‘Game Plans’; ‘Team Building’ which is a resource used in schools; and she rewrote ‘On Attack’. As well there was ‘My Team and Me’ and ‘My Little Team and Me’ designed for secondary school pupils who were coaching lower high school or younger teams.
There were also coaching courses run in Samoa, twice, the Solomon Islands and Rarotonga.
She also attended many Netball World Cups, and since 1991 travelled to Birmingham, Sydney twice, Jamaica, Singapore, Auckland, Liverpool and Cape Town, often alongside her great friend, Dame Lois Muir, the legendary former Silver Ferns coach.
That all started when Ivy’s daughter Carron was a goal shoot for the Silver Ferns between 1990 – 1995.
Hailing from the town of Petts Wood, in south-east London, Ivy progressed through the U14 and U16 ranks into the A team at Bromley County Grammar School for Girls and so began her lifelong netball odyssey.
After finishing school, Ivy gained distinctions in Physical Education (PE) Theory and Education from Sheffield University, playing top PE College netball at the time while the teaching practice also provided the opportunity of more and more coaching, firstly at primary schools and later at secondary schools.
Ivy’s first teaching employment was at Sudbury High School in Suffolk, an all-girls school. Being in the PE Department, she coached many sports and activities and loved every moment of it.
An intrepid spirit, and opportunity for a better life, brought Ivy to New Zealand in 1969, the 25-year-old involved in a scheme called ‘Bring out a Briton’ as the New Zealand government recruited for more teachers.
It was the advertisement from Waitara High School that lured her to the other side of the world and from where she launched her remarkable influence on netball in New Zealand in a massive personal decision.
Until 1990, Ivy was involved in teaching at both Waitara High School and Manukorihi Intermediate.
She continued to play locally before concentrating solely on coaching in 1975, where she was involved with school teams, Taranaki age-group teams, Taranaki Premier teams and a season with the Waikato Senior team.
She was also entrusted with the New Zealand Development squad players, where 30 girls all trying to make a claim for the Silver Ferns, received coaching over a couple of camps. To top off her growing involvement, Ivy took on the Western Flyers for three seasons, a team made up of the best from Taranaki, Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū.
Ivy received a Netball Taranaki Service Award in 2000 which was followed in 2011 with a NNZ Service Award.
In honouring Ivy’s wishes, grand-daughter Marcia Jerram will play in Sunday’s Synergy Hair Netball League (NNL) Grand Final in Porirua on Sunday. Marcia is a defender for the Comets who will meet Central Manawa in the season-finale.
Marcia’s mum Carron, who is part of the Comet’s management team, will also be on hand, as her daughter and grand-daughter pay fitting tribute to Ivy’s enormous legacy in the most appropriate of fashions.
Ivy passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 20 after battling cancer.