Sharing a few courts between a lot of teams

Most netball clubs train on borrowed courts: a school, a council centre, an indoor stadium with a few hours a week. When there are more teams than courts, someone ends up training late, or not at all.

This is a method you can explain to coaches and repeat every season.

1. Count what you actually have

Write down every court and the hours you can use it. Include the courts you only get on some nights, and note which ones have lights.

2. Give every team one session before anyone gets two

Start with the youngest teams in the earliest slots, so they finish before it gets late. Seniors and open teams take the later slots. Only once every team has one session do you hand out second sessions.

3. Share a court when you can

Two junior teams can share one court, one at each end, for skills work. Keep whole courts for match practice and for older teams.

4. Write it down where everyone can see it

Publish the plan before pre-season starts, with who trains where and when. Coaches who can see the whole plan are much less likely to ask for a change.

5. Plan for the wet night

Outdoor courts get wet. Decide in advance who moves indoors, who cancels and who tells the families, so it isn't decided at 5 pm on the day.

Do it in Sportdify

Add your courts to a venue, split one into halves for juniors, and let the season plan give every team a slot.

How to