06/06/2026
Coach news:
Tamara is stepping down as our ‘Mama Bear’ after many years. Let me tell you a little bit about how we met:
I was a young mum at the school gates when I overheard someone say there was a netball team that met once a week at Bearsden Academy and it was only £2 to play. I decided there and there to try it as I missed netball so much and hadn’t played for many years.
That decision has been one of the best decisions I could have made. Not only have I been playing netball pretty much weekly ever since but I’ve got to know SO many lovely people. But none better than the OG herself, Tamara.
In the beginning Tamara began as a volunteer at her own daughter’s primary school running the club there so her daughter could play and build up great memories for herself. From that, some staff in the school talked of how much they missed it too and the idea of having a one-off fun game was born. Well, it was so much fun that the court at Bearsden was booked again. And so began a fortnightly ritual for the OGs. Tamara diligently dealt with all the bookings, bought equipment and trained as a coach, giving up weekends to do so. She also registered the club with Netball Scotland and spent many years with her jotter doing weekly check-ins to make sure she had everyone’s contact details-long before the days of the WhatsApp group!
I joined not long after the group went weekly at Bearsden Academy. I still remember that first night and my feelings of utter excitement and joy to play again. And with such lovely people! I couldn’t shut up about it at the school gate and managed to get many other people to come and try it. We all got to know each other as a result and became good friends.
Cut to losing the court let at Bearsden Academy and being forced to find a new home at Donald Dewer in Drumchapel. That was home for many happy years until COVID hit, when it became a vaccination centre. This would be a difficult time for all of us but we continued to meet up through running and online quizzes. When we could finally get back to play we found a court in Bishopbriggs since Donald Dewer was still not an option. This was by far the hardest year as we struggled to get people back to the court and the distance was just too far for many. At that point it was close to folding. We had to have difficult discussions about how to gather new people and the Facebook and WhatsApp idea came to life! This model still stands and has been a great way of communicating to new people and current players.
Finally we found out a Sunday night slot had become free at the Allander, which was a change of night for us, so we had a good think about whether we could make it work. Ultimately it was a closer and nicer venue so we decided to give it a try.
Today we have 289 followers on Facebook and from fun video posts of our Sunday nights we have reached so many women who come along and give us a go. (I’d love to knowthat number!)
When people come they often say ‘I haven’t played since school but I enjoyed it then and I want to try again.’ The Bears gives us that opportunity which is so important, especially for women, who often are at an age and stage of looking to get back some fitness and maybe even their old identity since having children and being ‘mum’.
So, from humble beginnings, Tamara has quietly and steadfastly built a fantastic group for the people of B and M (and some beyond too!) where we can play the game we love, keep fit, and meet new people.
The best thing for me after all these years is that I get to call Tamara my friend. She is a wonderful person and we will miss her on Sunday nights. I’m lucky though…I’ll still get to see her outside of netball!
Tamara: THANK YOU for all you’ve done. But it’s time now to pass the whistle over and pivot off the court. Visit when you can!
