Tayla is an account executive at TVNZ and a netball coach in her spare time. She says coaching brings her the greatest joy and loves seeing those ‘lightbulb’ moments in players. 

Tell us about your coaching career to date. 

I started out as a student coach when I attended Long Bay College in 2014. I began coaching in 2019 while studying fulltime at The University of Auckland and working in healthcare. In high school some of my best memories were made playing netball so I wanted to return as a coach and provide a fun, supportive culture and team for the players at the college I used to attend. I now coach three netball teams for both school and club. 

What do you think it takes to be an effective coach? 

I truly believe in kindness in coaching, but it’s a delicate balance. As a player myself, I sometimes struggle with “tough love” coaching, so I take this into consideration in my coaching role. I don’t want my team to hesitate in speaking up, asking questions, or seeking clarification. Nor do I want them to be unsure of where they stand with me. I am surrounded by many inspirational coaches in both the school and club space who I lean on, ask advice and talk to on all thing’s netball. 

What do you get out of coaching? 

Wholeheartedly, coaching brings me the greatest joy. I love seeing those moments where you work on a skill at training and then that ‘lightbulb’ moment from players when it’s used-on court. Seeing the girls smile and laugh truly makes all those early mornings, and rainy winter days at the courts worth it.  

How do you make a difference in the lives of the people you coach? 

While I am their coach, I hope the girls also see me as their friend - someone who believes in them, pushes them to be their best, prioritises their wellbeing, and someone who will always be in their corner on and off the court.  

They also make a difference in my life. I see so much of my younger self in some of the girls. If they can come off the court with their heads held high, having given their best and be proud of their efforts that’s all I can ask. I take a lot of this mentality into my own game too.  

What’s your favourite coaching experience to date? 

I love tournament week - it is what we strive towards for an entire season, and I look forward to spending a week away with some incredibly talented young netballers. If I could pinpoint a top coaching moment, it was a game back in 2023. The team we were playing was top of the table and we were the underdogs. After 40 minutes of hard work, we won! I was stunned, I was crying... the girls were crying tears of joy, happiness and sheer surprise. You could not wipe the smiles off our faces.  

Tell us more about what you do outside of being a volunteer coach? 

When I’m not coaching, I play club netball myself. And for work I’m an account executive at TVNZ. I always joke at work saying, “if I am not here, you will find me at the netball courts”. I truly do live, eat and breathe netball. In the off-season I’m a keen runner, I like training for half marathons, and I love to soak up the sunshine. 

“Coaching brings me the greatest joy. I love seeing those moments where you work on a skill at training and then that ‘lightbulb’ moment from players when it’s used-on court.”