Cathryn Rich kindly updated knowitall.ch on the news from her Netball Club and let us know about the upcoming summer events. To get to know her involvement with Netball, she has shared these responses to our questions.
How did you get involved in Netball?
I am a PE teacher from Bath, UK - where I lead the Sports department at the Royal High School with a strong tradition in the game, I also played and coached at the Team Bath Club which is a large and successful club both in terms of participation numbers and in developing performance of elite players. I am a UKCC Level 2 coach and a Netball Europe B Award Umpire. I am the founding President of Swiss Netball and was Operations lead from 2009 - 2016 which brought about rapid progress in terms of participation in netball and saw our National teams achieve their greatest successes on the European stage thus far.
What is your involvement with Netball Pass Meinier?
I founded the Netball Club of Meinier in 2011 which now comprises around 100 members and is run by a committee of all female volunteers and where we are proud to encourage young women to play the game of netball but also provide opportunities to coach and umpire the game. Essentially we are an all female club made up of 60% plus Swiss members now but with an approach that integrates the local and the expat community through this team sport.
Netball Pass is the arm of netball specifically set up to run camps and extra activities for netball, we offer discounts for Meinier members but all netballers or 'wannabe netballers' are welcome to join these activities.
What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome while setting up or teaching here?
The greatest difficulty in developing the sport has been finding venues to accommodate it. This has been especially challenging in promoting a sport that is unknown by the Swiss community and is normally greeted with a ‘C’est quoi le netball?’
But having my home in Meinier at the time and after lots of conversations in the playground and around municipal councillors the doors opened gently in 2011 to me and the club has since been able to bring netball to Cologny, Puplinge and Chêne-Bougeries.
The club operates in French and English and works hand in hand with local communes to deliver the sport all of whom have marked netball lines in their salles de gym which was a big step for the club. Meinier Club now has a francophone President who is able to foster positive and coherent messages with the communes.
On a really positive note the netball Club of Meinier was given a Mérite Meynite prize in 2017 for contribution to the local community and for the standards achieved by players and more recently Meinier Netball was awarded the Mérite Collongeois 2024 for it’s ongoing commitment to young women across the Rive Gauche region.
What are the club's plans for the future?
The club’s key plan is to become sustainable and with the 15 year anniversary approaching next year, this is becoming more viable as some of the girls involved with the club at the start are returning to the area to live and work and we hope they will want to continue to play some netball or return to coach or help in the development of the club!
In delivering camps it is hoped to invite more girls to come and enjoy the game and thereafter be motivated to join our club or another one in the region.
What is your favorite part of Netball and why?
Netball is an inclusive game - the 7 players on the court at any one time have a specific role to play and it is truly a team sport given that the ball must pass through all three areas of the court, therefore most hands , before a goal is scored.
It is pedagogically sound in that contact is limited and no player can remove the ball from another’s hands which gives time and space to make a good pass to team mates. As players mature and progress in the game it becomes fast and intense, then tactics play a big role in deciding the victors and so it’s really clever too.
I love the fact that this game in our club is 100% female - for me it’s all about empowering girls and women through sport and it’s a privilege to be part of this club.
Summer camp dates
- Week 1: 30 June through 3 July 2025
- Week 2: 7-10 July 2025
Days 1 -3 at Meinier school
Day 4 at Parc des Eaux-Vives and Genève Plage
9h30 - 16h
CHF 350 / week
CHF 290 / week for Meinier members
Win a Netball ball and visit the club!
Netball Pass is kindly offering one lucky knowitall.ch reader a gift of one of their netball balls! The winner will need to visit the club to pick it up (details will be given to the winner).
To enter the competition, just fill in this form and answer this multiple choice question: How many players are allowed on the court at any one time?
Only one entry per person and per email is allowed. The competition closes at midnight on Thursday, 8 May 2025. The names of all those submitting correct answers will be placed into the digital hat and the winner’s name drawn at random by Friday, 9 May 2025. No cash equivalent of prizes is permitted. The winner will be notified by email.
Netball Pass
Meinier Netball - Club de sport 100% féminin
Meinier, GE
Video link: https://meinier-netball.ch/a-propos/
Summer camps link: https://meinier-netball.ch/stages-dete-2025/
