Samantha Winders (front centre) at Rotorua Netball Centre, where NetballSmart is delivered. Photo / Supplied
Samantha Winders (front centre) at Rotorua Netball Centre, where NetballSmart is delivered. Photo / Supplied
Winter sports injury claims are rising, with ACC paying over $20 million last year in Bay of Plenty.
Netball accounted for 23,796 injuries nationwide, with ACC paying $48 million in claims.
Former Silver Fern Samantha Winders is part of NetballSmart initiatives to reduce injury risk.
Winter sports injury claims have been on the rise, with ACC paying out more than $20 million last year to help Bay of Plenty players recover.
To address this, sporting codes have prevention initiatives led by athletes who have played at the highest levels, such as former Silver Fern Samantha Winders, 29.
The born-and-raised Rotorua athlete is the Waikato-Bay of Plenty development officer for NetballSmart, New Zealand’s only female-focused injury prevention programme.
Netball accounted for 23,796 injuries nationwide last year, and ACC paid out $48m in claims - the highest of the past five years.
Winter sports-related injury claims and costs have consistently gone up over that period in Bay of Plenty.
Rugby union led the pack last year, with nearly 5000 claims costing more than $10m.
The 1504 netball claims cost just over $3.2m.
Football, basketball, and netball injuries were most common among 10-14-year-olds, whilst rugby union and rugby league injuries were most common among 15-19-year-olds.
Samantha Winders in 2021 during the Silver Ferns v Australia netball test match at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch. Photo / Michael Bradley
Winders said her regional development job was about teaching, a vocation she had always felt called to.
“It’s very much a teaching role, but not in a classroom setting, obviously in a netball setting, and that’s something I feel like I’m a bit of an expert in.”
As the development officer, Winders works with coaches, players, schools, centres and clubs to help develop strategies to improve performance and decrease injury risk.
NetballSmart is an evidence-based framework and includes a revised warm-up that focuses on key game-specific movements such as landings and deceleration.
Winders said she had a responsibility to develop the athletic side of a netball player, setting a good foundation in injury prevention and management.
“Injury management doesn’t just happen on the netball court or in prevention. It starts well before that.
“A big part of it is preparation, warming up properly and moving well, but at the same time it’s sort of empowering athletes to take responsibility for themselves in the way they prepare for the game.”
NetballSmart is the official injury prevention programme of Netball New Zealand, developing strategies to improve performance and decrease injury risk. Photo / Supplied
She said NetballSmart was about breeding “good movers” who lived by their principles.
“NetballSmart speaks for itself, it’s a smart way to approach netball.
“If you have a good, strong foundation, then you will prevent injuries.”
She was “very grateful” that netball was and remained such a “massive” part of her life.
“It’s a pretty basic sport, but there is so much room for growth and development within it … it’s taken me all over the world."
She could not imagine ever losing her love for playing and competing, but said she also found working with young players very rewarding.
“I really would love to see more players from this region crack it, because they have the ability to.”
Silver Ferns lead physiotherapist Sharon Kearney has driven a revision of the programme.
“Sam’s ability to share her expertise directly with players on achieving success, integrated with NetballSmart messaging to minimise injury risk, is invaluable,” Kearney said in a statement.
“That is why Sam was great as a NetballSmart ambassador and now as one of our regional officers. She can help tell the story of what it takes to play netball like she does.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
