Following the Annual General Meeting on 25th June, Jersey Netball warmly welcomes new members in the Executive Committee for the upcoming year. In particular, we are thrilled to welcome Wendy Luce as the new President of Jersey Netball, taking over from Linda Andrews who retired from the role.
Executive Committee 2026/2027:
President: Wendy Luce (New)
Senior Vice President: Carla Plater (New)
Junior Vice President: Melissa Noon (New)
Honorary Secretary: Jackie Pannenborg (Continuing)
Honorary Treasurer: Ron Halliwell (Continuing)
Governance Lead: Michelle Bougeard (Continuing)
Resolution Lead: Rebecca Le Templier (Continuing)
Safeguarding Lead: Ella Vieira (Continuing)
Whilst we celebrated new members, we also said goodbye to key people who have contributed so much to netball in Jersey.
Linda Andrews leaves the role as President after 8 years as the figurehead of Jersey Netball, leaving behind evidence of the enormous impact she had on the sport. Linda’s unwavering efforts to grow netball in Jersey through community programmes and performance pathways has seen significant results; most notably the success of Team Jets at a National Level. Linda’s determination and resilience in the face of economic pressure has allowed netball to continue to flourish, whether this is through constant communication with Ministers and States Members to assert the importance of the sport, or by creating partnerships with businesses and charities to secure locations for grassroots netball to develop. Even until the final few days of her presidency, Linda continued to advocate for Jersey Netball, encouraging Jersey’s most influential people to engage in conversations about a Home for Netball in the island.
As well as inspiring netballers within the island, Linda was notably a huge part of Ex-England Captain Serena Kersten-Guthrie’s hugely successful netball career. After naming Linda as her ‘Inspirational Person’ for the Vitality Netball Legends Series in 2021, Serena shared that “If it wasn’t for [Linda’s] support, belief and unwavering love for netball, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She was my number one fan from the day I met her. She’s more than just a coach; she’s my family and I’ll never be able to fully repay her for what she’s done for me. Everything I’ve achieved a big part of it belongs to her.”
As a gesture of gratitude to Linda for her many years of dedication, through her Presidency and beyond, Jersey Netball named her as Lady Patron and an Honorary Life Member. On behalf of the entire community of players, coaches, umpires and volunteers, at all levels of the sport, we would like to extend an enormous thank Linda for her endless hard work and hours she has given to netball. Her unwavering love for netball is truly inspiring to every single member of the Jersey Netball community, and beyond.
We also said goodbye to our Netball Development Officer, Samantha Salzone, who showed just how much impact an individual can have on netball in such a short time, thanks to her love and passion for the sport. Samantha left the role in June, but kindly agreed to continue with the Back to Netball sessions and Mixed Netball League until they finished for the summer. Her influence and dedication to Jersey Netball have been incredible and hugely impactful.
In just over a year, a few of Samantha’s achievements are:
- organising and facilitating programmes in schools and in the community
- leading and nurturing friendly and relaxed Back to Netball sessions
- running hugely successful Summer Mixed Leagues, introducing a new Winter Mixed League, and supporting with tournaments
- celebrating youth talent through programmes, tournaments, coaching and competitions at all levels
- helping to improve the reach of netball in the island
…all while getting used to a new home and competing in a Prem 3-winning Team Jets Netball Club squad!
The whole Jersey Netball community would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Samantha for her hard work and dedication to netball in Jersey, including her recommendations to adjust the role to provide more support and balance for the future. We wish her the best of luck in her new venture!
We also say goodbye to Serena Kersten as our dedicated Performance Lead, following her successful campaign to represent the island as a Senator. After finishing fifth in the island-wide vote, Serena has begun her first-term in politics and was appointed as an assistant minister in two departments: infrastructure and education and lifelong learning. In what will surely be positive news for netball, and all sports in the island, Serena will also hold political responsibility for sport.
Serena will continue to be a valued part of Jersey Netball through her coaching and advisory roles, and was named as part of the Coaching Team for the Evelyn Partners Jets 1 team as they embark on their campaign in Premier League 2. We wish Serena success in her new career and look forward to supporting her endeavours to promote all sports within the island.
Lastly, although not part of the outgoing Executive Committee, Jersey Netball would like to acknowledge the many years of dedication to Jersey Netball given by Jackie Nelson. Throughout her time in the Association, Jackie has fulfilled many positions within the committee, including President, and her positivity and loyalty for the sport are second to none. As an integral part of St Lawrence Netball Club, Jackie’s decision to retire from netball is felt not only within her own club, but across the entire Jersey Netball community. It takes an immensely special person to have such a long-standing presence within a sport, and even more so to gain a huge amount of respect from every player she has come across – whether coached by her or not. A beacon of kindness and support, Jackie has led by example to encourage countless young netballers to develop a love for the sport, whilst still maintaining her edge as a competitive coach. We hope to welcome Jackie to many events in the future and wish her many relaxing days in her retirement from a lifetime of volunteering in Netball.
