Kath Tetley: A New Chapter in Scottish Netball

As the Scottish Thistles welcome Kath Tetley as their new head coach, the Scottish netball community buzzes with anticipation. With her arrival comes a wave of optimism and a fresh approach that could redefine the future of the sport in Scotland. Kath brings a vibrant energy and a philosophy of openness and growth that promise to invigorate not only the players but also the entire netball community.

Embracing a New Dynamic

Kath’s initial impressions of the team reveal a group that’s as eager to evolve as she is to guide them. “The team thus far is probably one of the most open to learning and growing groups of athletes that I’ve ever worked with before,” she remarks, reflecting her excitement about the team’s receptiveness to new ideas. “And there are a number of athletes in there who have a lot of depth and experience and have been in the programme for a long time, and to still find that they are really open to hearing ideas from a crazy Aussie or doing things differently is actually just really refreshing and fun as a coach to work with.”

A Philosophy of Openness and Community

Kath’s coaching style is deeply rooted in the principles of openness and community. Her approach is about more than just netball; it’s about building a supportive environment that extends beyond the court. “In terms of integrating my coaching philosophy, I’m renowned for being a pretty open human and an oversharer,” she explains. “I hope that the Thistle fans find that, I hope that the players find that and I hope that the staff find that because my attitude is that one of the most powerful things in netball is our community and sharing with each other, whether that is grassroots learning and growing or it’s the Thistles, I’m all about leaning in and sharing with each other so that we can get better together.”

Strategic Enhancements and Adaptations

Kath is keen to respect the team’s past while steering them towards new strategic heights. “I don’t think it’s about innovating and changing what’s
been done before,” Kath articulates her approach to transitioning into her role. “It’s about respecting what we’ve done in past competitions, but I think my responsibility is to ask why we do things the way we do, to find out if we can enhance them or add some new flavour to it.” She understands that with any new leadership, change is inevitable, but her focus is on embedding structure and discipline. “For me, it’s about how do we embed structure for ourselves so that we feel that we are really nailing things, that we are sticking to what we say we will do and for me that is respecting the process and respecting each other, and that is really core to my values.”

Measuring Success at the Celtic Cup

With the Celtic Cup as her debut on the international stage, Kath’s measure of success isn’t just about the outcomes but also about how the team presents itself under pressure. “For the Celtic Cup, there is nothing like being a proud home host country. So the responsibility in that is that you’ve got to have a gutsy, never give up, hardened focus in every game.” She continues, elaborating on her philosophy towards competition, “Sometimes that’s about measuring what we do out on court and not necessarily the scoreboard, sometimes it is the scoreboard and then putting things together in a different way for the next match. So I think we just have to be very disciplined in making sure that whatever we decide we’re going to do in a match we see it through as a unit really strongly and show the crowd that that’s what we’re trying to execute.”

Vision for the Future and Beyond

Looking beyond the immediate challenges of the Celtic Cup, Kath is focused on the holistic development of her players and the broader impact on Scottish netball. “Firstly, I see my responsibility as improving individual players, I think every coach has a responsibility to ensure that they are not just seeing the big picture of the team performance but also the individuals inside the programme,” she explains. Her aspirations extend to influencing the netball culture in Scotland.

Kath articulates her mission: “We are headed in a direction where there are successes, and there is also what’s the brand of netball that Scotland wants to see us put out on court. That’s what I’m really interested in developing with the players at the moment because it’s not just about me and the direction that I want, it’s also about the players buying into that and saying ‘yeah, what we’re trying to do here is exciting.’”

She elaborates on the influence of the Scottish Thistles on future generations: “Our job is to inspire every grassroots netballer in Scotland to pick up a netball and get out and play. Every single Thistles should feel really proud of themselves because they inspire the next hundred Thistles coming through. That’s the brand of netball I want to play, and hopefully, we just make everyone really proud.”

Kath Tetley’s leadership marks a new era for the Scottish Thistles, characterised by open communication, strategic innovation, and a deep commitment to the netball community. Her approach promises not only to elevate the performance of the team but also to inspire the next generation of players across Scotland. As the Celtic Cup approaches, all eyes will be on Kath and her team as they showcase their new strengths under her guidance. Tickets are on sale now.