You won’t find many people in the Birmingham netball community that haven’t crossed paths with Joan Hunter.

Joan has been coaching netball in the city for over 35 years, training teams at Harborne, Sutton Comets and South Birmingham netball clubs to name a few. For the past decade, she has coached for the University of Birmingham netball club.

But her journey with netball began when she was a player herself. Her love for the sport continued to grow, and she went on to play netball on the international stage.

Her success in coaching is down to her approach of always putting the girls’ priorities first. She is committed to ensuring the girls spend enough time focussing on their studies, as well as the game. It’s down to this personal touch that Joan has been described as being like a parent to netballers, both past and present.

Yet Joan has never been afraid to push them in a positive way, ensuring that they are striving for success in each and every match. Joan beams with pride when she talks about her players, having been influential in their improvement over the years, and coached netballers that have represented England.

She is also immensely proud of her city; when she’s not coaching netball, Joan is an avid broadcaster and journalist on a community radio station.

Joan will continue to champion and represent grassroots sport in Birmingham and encourage women in sport to push boundaries for years to come.