Press Release

STA Joins Forces With English Netball

26th March 2008

The STA has just announced that it has joined forces with the England Netball Association to launch a new qualification specifically for netball coaches.  The Netball Sports Specific First Aid qualification will also be adopted by Welsh Netball and Netball Scotland.

The Netball Sports Specific First Aid Award is a nationally accredited qualification, which will become a unique model for netball coaches completing levels 2 and 3 of their UKCC qualifications.  It will be managed fully by the STA, and the first of the nine scheduled six-hour courses for England will start later this year.

The STA is recognised as a specialist in the sport and leisure sectors, and has in the past also devised specific NaRS First Aid Appointed Person programmes for other National Governing Bodies of Sport; including rugby, ice skating, cricket, and golf. It was this experience of producing tailored courses for specific-sport related incidents that secured the partnership with England Netball.

Chief Executive of the STA, Roger Millward, said: “This partnership with England Netball is clearly a significant coup for the STA as an organisation, and further enhances our profile as a major provider of sports-specific first aid training to sports governing bodies.”

England Netball is the governing body for England’s biggest female sport with 63,462 Affiliated members.  Angela Wrangles, Qualifications Manager at England Netball:  “Everyone involved in netball has a role to play in making the game enjoyable and above all as safe as possible. Those who hold a coaching position also have a specific responsibility to provide a safe and competent level of care to any injured player.”

“Playing sport will always carry a risk of injury -  by working with the STA to develop the first netball specific first aid qualification, we are further supporting the game, and making sure our coaches are equipped with the right skills to deal with the full range of incidents that could occur on the training ground or court,” Angela concluded.

Attendees of the Netball Sports Specific First Aid Course will be taken through a continuous assessment of practical skills, as well as a worksheet test of theoretical knowledge; and will be trained to deal correctly with injuries that are common to the sport. They will also be taught to carry out a range of first aid activities in a safe manner such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid for unconscious casualties.