Leeds Rhinos Netball team in winning partnership with university

Thanks to a long-standing partnership between Leeds Rhinos and the university, players have had extensive use of the new state-of-the-art Carnegie School of Sport facilities ahead of the new season.

And the preparation clearly paid off with Leeds Rhinos Netball cruising to a 65-35 victory against Celtic Dragons to open their season in fine style on February 12.

Leeds Rhinos Netball was established in 2017 and the Leeds Beckett Carnegie School of Sport has been working with the team ever since to support the growth of netball and wider women’s sport across all ages and communities.

The partnership with Leeds Beckett allows all Leeds Rhinos Netball squads to benefit from the Carnegie School of Sport’s expertise, with staff and PhD students from the University working within the organisation to provide support to maximise their performance.

The sport science support for the Superleague squad is led by Dr Sarah Whitehead who is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology, and Head of Athletic Performance and development at Leeds Rhinos Netball.

Superleague players are also supported by Sarah Chantler, providing nutrition support, and PhD students Cameron Owen, Ross Shand and Anthony Clark, who are providing strength and conditioning, sport psychology and sports science support.

Dan Busfield, franchise Ddirector for Leeds Rhinos Netball, said: “We have a fantastic partnership with Leeds Beckett University and are enormously grateful to the Carnegie School of Sport for its support during preseason and ongoing use of its amazing training space.

“The university’s facilities provide a world class environment, not only for our first team squad in the Superleague, but also for players in the pathway who all enjoy training at the Carnegie School of Sport’s facilities and benefit from the supporting environment it provides.”

Dr Whitehead added: “Having worked with Leeds Rhinos Netball since it was established in 2017 it has been fantastic to see the club grow. Thanks to the partnership with Leeds Beckett, we are able to provide a high-performance training environment to support the players on their journey in the first season in Superleague.

“Pleasingly, the support provided to all the teams at Leeds Rhinos Netball through our partnership also filters into the wider netball community, with Carnegie School of Sport staff working closely with performance and medical staff from England Netball on a number of research projects. This demonstrates how Leeds Beckett and Leeds Rhinos Netball are supporting the development of netball at both elite and community level.”

Several of Leeds Beckett’s undergraduates and alumni play for the Under 21s team, with Brie Grierson and Brittany Coleman contracted to the Superleague squad.