On Thursday December 9, 2016 a somewhat fatigued, emotional wreck boarded a plane to start a new netballing adventure on the opposite side of the world. Fast forward a month, still somewhat fatigued but far less emotional I am settling quickly into Perth life and genuinely loving it…
Firstly, thanks to the guys at West Coast Fever for giving me yet another opportunity to do something that I love. Write… even better that I get to do it about myself. I am definitely joking, however, over the coming season I hope to give the Fever fans an insight into life away from netball and provide you with a window into the team.
To start off with it makes sense to let you all know a little more about me…
I have represented England Netball at age group level from 15 and have amassed 55 caps as a senior international. I have been fortunate enough to travel the world with netball and have participated in two Commonwealth Games (Delhi, 2010 and Glasgow, 2014) as well as two World Cups (Singapore, 2011 and Sydney, 2015). Since 15, when I had my first taste of wearing the red dress, all my life decisions have been based around netball.
When my parents announced they were emigrating to Canada, I was 17 and already had my future mapped out in my head. I have a pretty decent sporting DNA as my father, Kevin Francis, was a striker for Stockport County and Birmingham City FC (soccer for all you Aussies) to name a few in his heyday, so making life choices based on sport was something I grew up around. I have always been an incredibly passionate and dedicated individual, which are traits you will find in most athletes, so the decision to stay in England and stick to my plan was an easy one. I moved in with my Nan whilst I finished school and then moved to Bath at the age of 18 and remained there until 2015.
Following the World Cup in Sydney I decided to put netball on the back burner and start a new adventure. As is often the way in sport I did not feel like I was achieving what I wanted or being given the opportunities that I would have liked. I began to question whether the ambitions that I had within netball were realistic at all and if the talent that I had was enough to succeed. After much soul searching I decided that my harsh reality was in fact that sometimes sacrifice, work ethic and attitude might not get you what you are capable of or where you think you deserve to be. For the first time in over 10 years I made decisions based solely around my well-being and professional development, as opposed to my sport.
As an England netballer our training programme only allows for part-time work, whilst also needing flexibility for extended periods of time away when competing. As you can imagine the ability to progress professionally whilst achieving sporting success is a difficult one. Especially when my interests do not directly lie in the world of sport. Fortunately for some, opportunities are fairly common within the spheres of teaching and coaching as they tend to have a better appreciation for what you do. However, I identified very early on that I was passionate about neither field. Having always been highly ambitious and extremely aware of the need for a career outside of sport, I sought out opportunities for part-time work over the years with various companies and extremely supportive employers in areas that I have been interested in. I also obtained a BSc Hons in Sports Performance from Bath University along with an MA in English from Cardiff Metropolitan.
Although aware of the ground-breaking formation of the Suncorp Super League, it was certainly not on my radar. I had secured a funded place on a Masters in Sports Directorship which I was incredibly excited about and had helped to shape my thought process and path for my professional future. Netball at home has also undergone some major changes and with some new teams and a cash injection, I was attempting to make decisions based on a team who could offer me a competitive training environment whilst being supportive of me studying and having the ability to provide me with a pertinent part-time work opportunity or finances that could sustain me. I was certainly spinning a lot of plates and had more than enough decisions to make without adding another larger, tempting plate to the party.
Having focussed my decisions around professional development, enjoyed a fantastic year that was filled with travel (Venice, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sardinia, New York and Orlando!!) and put less importance on netball, I was happy and fulfilled so it wasn’t a case of me just dropping everything and moving to be a netballer in Australia. The opportunity was a fantastic one but there were two things that tipped the scales towards me choosing Aussie netball life. The professionalism of the league and the support and structures that had been put in place for the athletes and West Coast Fever.
Having settled on a decision to pass up on my education opportunity and lifestyle at home and make the big move down under it was really important for me that I put myself and my team in the best position as early as possible. I handed in my notice at work and moved out of my flat in Leeds and switched my head back to netball. I began training on my own full-time, twice a day, with the support of Liam, the Fever Athletic Performance Coach and put my name forward again for the home England test series against Jamaica. I decided to fly out a few days after the series finished, before Christmas and completely throw myself into my new environment for when February 18 swung around.
When I first arrived in Perth I was being hosted by Kate Beveridge, however, wasn’t given much time to bug my new teammate as we were whisked away 48hrs later for the Fever pre-season camp. Already second guessing my decision, our 10-woman squad, along with nine members of the coaching and support staff participated in a three-day operation that was led by a former SAS Patrol Commander. Being sleep deprived and highly emotional I was mindful that the team might not be meeting me at my best but I was excited to get stuck in and attack any challenges that would be thrown our way.
In total, I slept about 6 hours across the three days (a winner on jetlag!) and we trekked around 81k’s. I had my first experience of kangaroos, cuddled a joey, slept in the bush with nothing but a ground sheet and sleeping bag, and was challenged personally by the constant unknown of what the next activity would entail. At the conclusion of the weekend we were asked to reflect on Operation Athena, my overriding emotion was that of relief. Relief not only that I survived without encountering a snake or venomous spider but also that I had confirmed in my mind my decision to up sticks and move had been a good one. The proximity to the whole of the West Coast Fever crew so soon after my arrival really accelerated the bedding in process for me. I came away from the camp comfortable with the people around me and confident that my time with Fever would be an enriching one.
One short week together with my team brought us quickly to the Christmas break and I departed Perth for a solo road trip down south for the festive period! I found myself a cute little motel in Busselton and used that as my base to map my assault on the south west of Australia. A jam packed 6 days took me to Dunsborough, Eagle Bay, Yallingup, Prevelly and Margaret River. I went on a tour of the region, visited several beaches, an outdoor cinema, joined a CrossFit (my guilty pleasure) and had Christmas Dinner with a stranger. Certainly a different festive period for me, especially with it also being my birthday on New Year’s Day, but I enjoyed the opportunity to get around and see more of WA.
I genuinely love to train so it’s great to be back with the team and settling into our own routine and preparations. It’s super cliché and coach Stace is constantly reminding us of it, but every time we step on court that it is a crucial opportunity to put ourselves in the best position for the season ahead. I’m really enjoying forming partnerships with the team and definitely making the most of my time with Court before she jets off for Diamond super stardom.
Looking forward to talking with you guys each week about Perth life, I promise I will be more brief next time.
Fran x
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