It may be the off-season for professional super netball player Sam Poolman but she is not taking it easy right now.
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Instead the towering defender from Newcastle has been spending the time off touring her ASPIRE development program to netball associations around the region, including Nelson Bay.
Poolman, who plays for GWS Giants in Suncorp Super Netball, ran her first of three ASPIRE clinics at the Nelson Bay Netball Association courts on Friday, November 3.
She put the under-10 and 11 girls through their paces first, showing them proper passing and throwing techniques, then the under-12 and 13 girls.
“I’m from Newcastle so I spent a lot of my juniors playing here in the Bay,” Poolman said.
“I’m passionate about my home region and strengthening associations within it to strengthen the Hunter as a whole.”
Also read: Poolman to share skills in Bay
Poolman has joined forces with Greater Bank, which is also a sponsor of Nelson Bay Netball Association, to deliver the ASPIRE program to young netballers around the region.
ASPIRE was started by Poolman just two months ago, but she already has linked with nine associations asking to run her development program for their members.
“This [ASPIRE] is my long-term plan,” Poolman said.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, to share my wisdom and knowledge and build up associations, to strengthen them.
“If we strengthen associations we strengthen the Hunter’s netballers as a whole.”
Poolman will return to Nelson Bay on November 17 and 24 to run parts two and three of the ASPIRE program with the same group of netballers.
Her Bay clinic comes off the back of winning bronze with Australia at the Fast5 Netball World Series.
Poolman, in her first time playing for Australia, was part of the team that handed New Zealand their worst result, 34-15, in Fast5 history in Melbourne on October 29.
Fore more information on the ASPIRE program head here: sampoolman.com