There are many fine coaches coming through the Netball NSW high performance pathway, but even among quality peers Amber Cross is a standout.
As head coach of both the Central Coast Heart Opens - in the Origin Energy Premier League - and the NSW 17U Team, it’s fair to say she loves a challenge. But how does she find the time to do it all?
“I don’t do anything by half so balancing the two roles was really challenging,” she says.
“I’m lucky to be supported by great management teams in both the Premier League and State Team spaces and I also have a very understanding and supportive husband and family that get me through.
“In the end, all the hard work is worth it when you see the athletes you are working with grow and come together as a team.
“Whilst it’s not ideal to be coaching two teams at once, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to represent both NSW and the Central Coast. They’re my two netty loves.”
Success seems to follow Cross. She’s led the Heart to a Premier League Opens title and also won silver for NSW at the 2019 National Netball Championships with her 17U team. So what are the keys to this?
“So much goes into a successful campaign that it’s hard to distil it into a few key points,” she says.
“For me, I always start by surrounding myself with a great team of people. You can’t do it alone. You’re going to need support and they should be the best.
“Then it’s all about planning because as they say ‘a goal without a plan is just a wish’. Being organised and prepared gives me direction and confidence.
“Success is impossible without good communication and honest conversations, so I’d say the next key ingredient is building great relationships with not just your players, but all stakeholders.
“Hard work is also essential. You just have to work bloody hard!
“And lastly, have fun. You need to enjoy what you’re doing, so find ways to make sure you’re smiling and laughing throughout the inevitably tumultuous ride.”
The latest COVID-19 outbreaks across Australia cruelled Cross’s Nationals ambitions for the second year in a row. Having gone so close to winning gold in 2019 she, and her players, were intent on bringing it back in 2021.
“I was really looking forward to seeing what the 17U team could do at Nationals,” she reflects.
“Each and every player had improved enormously from our first training session. As a team we were building steadily across the 12-week campaign and we’d had some really promising results in our practice matches.
“Most importantly, the belief in the playing group was strong and there was a determined hunger to win back the ‘Golden Boot’ for NSW. Most of the team were together when the announcement that Nationals had been cancelled was made, so we were able to support each other by commiserating as a group and just spending time in each other’s company.
“Since then, I’ve been checking in with everybody by phone or text as much as possible and we are also catching up as a team on zoom.”
Despite not getting the chance to compete at Nationals this year, Premier League has started. Although there is a COVID-enforced hiatus at the moment, Cross cannot wait to start making the long commute from Newcastle to Netball Central again.
“Coaching is one of the most rewarding and challenging things you can do. You are consistently required to think differently, find new approaches, upskill, problem solve, be creative, resolve conflicts, and strive for excellence.
“I get a lot of time in the car to think about all of these things. That time can sometimes be lonely, but I have a few car-pool buddies that help keep me sane and also inspire me to do better and be better, as do the players and management teams around me.
“They all want to be the best and that motivates me to find a way for them. The reward is the relationships you build, but also the delight in seeing athletes succeed, not just in netball, but in life, and knowing you played a small part in that.”
In terms of how she coaches when it comes to both State Team and Premier League camps, Cross says she doesn’t change much. However, she does note that there are some differences between underage and Opens players.
“Essentially my coaching style is the same, it’s all about empowering the athlete to become the best player they can be on the court and the best person they can be off the court, as well as building a strong team culture.
“With the Opens team there is a lot more experience within the group so it’s important that the players have ownership in what we are doing and I encourage them to drive a lot of the processes.
“The focus is more tactical. We do a lot of work on opposition analysis as well as individual performance analysis, and the length of the season makes the approach quite different, especially around motivation.
“With the 17s the focus is on really honing the foundation level netball skills and setting the benchmark for the athletes around elite performance behaviours. You also have to bring a team together in a very short period of time so the emphasis on team culture and building connections quickly is important.”
Cross has been involved in the Premier League since its inception in 2016 and has delighted in how the competition’s grown on and off the court.
“The biggest change I can see in the competition is the professionalism of the programs,” she adds.
“Each year franchises are pushing each other to be better and the bar is consistently being raised. Not just on the court either, but off the court too, in areas like social media and community engagement.
“There have been some great initiatives started by some of the franchises around male participation, umpiring programs and talent identification. It’s really impressive and I’m keen to see what other big improvements franchises can make in the coming years as we all strive to provide programs that mimic and prepare athletes for State Teams, the Australian National Championships and Suncorp Super Netball.”
With so much netball in Cross’s life, how does she get to relax? Well, reading helps. In fact, reading and walking (at the same time) is an artform she’s trying to perfect.
“My two big off-court loves are reading and hiking,” she says.
“I’m a book tragic and actually own and operate an online second-hand bookstore as my day job. I generally have two to three books on the go and run a small book local book club.
“I love the outdoors, hiking in particular, and I try to explore a new track about once a fortnight.
“Both escaping to nature and into a book really clear my head so that I can better focus on netball when I have to. I’ve also managed to perfect the art of walking and reading at the same time. The path needs to be flat though!”
