Being a team captain, University of Nottingham sport scholar and third year student Tabitha Tooms has played a key part in the University of Nottingham Netball Club's resurgence this season. Currently studying towards her degree in Geography, Tabitha has also been a part of Netball Super League side Nottingham Forest Netball's NXT GEN squad and the England Roses Academy since 2024. We recently spoke with Tabitha to learn more about her continued progression within the sport, her reflections on this season with the #GreenandGold, as well as her future aims.
Hi Tabitha, thank for meeting with me today. Could you tell me more about yourself and your journey within sport so far?
So, I started playing netball when I was around 10 at a local club. Then I played in a county programme and then started at Loughborough lightning which is an academy for under 15s. I worked my way up through there and then moved to Manchester Thunder Academy when I was at the Under 19 level. That was a long, around a 2.5-hour drive from my home once a week which was quite a lot. I did some England bits when I was 16 just for a season, which was really good, I really enjoyed that and then I chose to come to Nottingham because I really liked it and I knew the netball was good. In my second year I started playing for Nottingham Forest when the programme started up here and I also started in an Under 21 England camp in the summer just gone.
What position do you play?
I'm a defender, so mostly goal defence and goalkeeper, and a bit of wing defence if needed. I guess I just kind of got into that from just always being put there! Especially when I was younger, you kind of play a bit of everywhere, and I feel like I just fell into that position. I'm quite tall, so that helps more than at centre, but I'm also useless at shooting along with that! I'm quite competitive and I feel like defenders have a little bit of that edge because you have to fight over the ball.
What skills do you think have helped you stand out from other people and progress?
I think, in the early days, I put in quite a lot of effort and work compared to other people, but I feel like it was just kind of expected. I played up quite a lot, so I would always be playing with the girls in the year above at school year above girls at school. I have three older sisters which all played netball, so I feel like I've always had to kind of, put a bit more in.
Is that how you got into the sport, from your sisters playing?
Yes, probably - and my next-door neighbour was also my school netball coach when I was eight so it was always something that I was around. I think that with a lot of people that have reached the elite level in sport, it's how you adapt to the setbacks. Obviously, it was hard travelling all the way to Manchester when I was in 6th form, and it was hard getting dropped from certain programmes, but I feel it makes you better instead and I really enjoy the sport.
Why did you choose Nottingham University?
A lot of the Netball Performance League (NPL) tournaments are played here because the facilities are so good, so I'd been there quite a lot with netball for under 17's and under 19's tournaments and really liked it. And then the coach reached out to me and asked if I would consider it and I didn't really have many other options that I wanted to do, so I came to an open day and really liked the campus. I only live about an hour away, and it’s kind of nice to be far enough that it feels somewhere new and that feels a bit more like a city, but I can still go home if I want. I think that's probably why I picked it as well as the course. I always wanted to do that geography, and I just thought the course here sounded good and it was a good mix of human and physical here compared to other universities.
How have you found bringing playing sport at an elite level to university and balancing it with studies?
There have definitely been times where it's been more difficult, and especially balancing it socially as well, I found first year kind of difficult in halls. I think overall, it's gone better than I expected it to. The support's been really good with my personal tutors and coaches and even the people who don't really think about as much, like gym coaches and stuff, I feel like they're all really understanding. The balance is good, and it's just about organisation when it gets quite intense, but because everyone kind of knows that and works around you. The setup here and the way you have your lifestyle helps with the sport, whereas, at school before I came here it was kind of harder to separate in term-time.
Has the university's partnership with Nottingham Forest helped you with managing your commitments in sport?
Yes, definitely. It's great to be able to have most of our training here in David Ross and then our other trainings are at Sutton Bonington, so it's not far. It's great to have the gym facilities, the High Performance Zone and the strength and conditioning coaches. Everything crosses over so everyone understands your load a bit more and understands what you're doing. It kind of works out perfectly, and when I found out Nottingham Forest was here, I was like absolutely.
What was your experience being in the under 21s training squad?
It was really good and eye-opening to see what the next steps could be like, but it was quite intense. It was four-week camps in the summer holidays, but it was a really good experience. I was quite surprised that I got offered it and then when it was confirmed, I was like, oh my gosh - that’s going to be quite a lot! Before the final selections, the camps were intense and all the girls were lovely, but you are still competing against them. However, I learned a lot and I felt like it really prepared me to come into my final year of BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) competition, and another season of NXTGen. It definitely opened to my eyes up to what it could all be like if I chose to take that path in the future.
How was it dealing with not making onto the squad?
Obviously, initially it's sad and it feels a bit rubbish, but I always look at it as if it will be - it will be. Maybe it's just not my time now, or maybe it was the right time, and I think just reminding yourself of why you actually play the sport and almost the bigger picture. It was a setback, but I feel like no setback is ever a true setback unless you let it be.
What have you taken from your experience to approaching your role of being the captain?
From being in quite a few different environments, I feel like I've learned almost the best bits from all of them and can encapsulate that into the team in Nottingham for this year. We have such a great group of girls, we're all so close, and I love being the captain and part of the team. I think I want everyone to feel they have a part of the lead and I just try and bring everyone's opinions together. I would say I'm very positive and try to never be negative about anything. I'm very solution based and I feel like I am quite a good spokesperson for the team and I ama able to link that in with the coaches.
How has your BUCS season gone this year?
Overall, the season has been so good. We've had a few difficult matches where we haven't played as well as we should have, but for the majority of our games it's been really good. We made it to BUCS semi-finals and whilst we sadly didn't make the final, I definitely feel like the whole team had a shared vision and worked so hard towards the same goal. Reflecting on our progress, going from BUCS Premier 2 last season to finishing 2nd in the top division in Premier 1 this year - I think that's quite a big achievement in itself.
How have you navigated moving up a league?
The step up was quite big, but we knew that it was going to be. When we went down, we knew that we wanted to get straight back up and knew what it would take. We've had more of a focus this year and we've just put that little bit more effort into everything. We do a lot of performance analysis, everyone's at the gym twice a week and it feels like a whole team effort - very community based. Everyone has been sending messages and reminding each other, and I think we've all had our sights set on working towards the same goals this year. Hopefully that can continue into next year and we come back stronger than ever.
What are your plans after you finish your degree?
To be completely honest, I'm not 100% sure. I'm hoping to get a job in something geography based, either in sustainability, logistics, or something within business. At the minute, it's more just trying to figure out what I want to do - whether that's going into a career or further studies, and what would be the best thing to fit alongside my netball if I was to stay in NXTGen for example. I just want something quite flexible. Ultimately, I'm just trying to finish with a good degree, enjoy my netball and see where it goes.
Finally, what advice would you give someone wanting to start sport at university but might find it a little intimidating?
I would say try and do your research before. Trying something new is about doing something you don't really know much about, but I think trying to find out as much information as possible before will help. You've got to remember, everyone starts somewhere, and there's always a sport for somebody. I think it's easy to say now, but it isn't as scary as it seems. I guess it's like anything that you've done in the past, there's a lot of things that have seemed scary. I remember when I was 15, and starting a football club was the most terrifying thing ever. Just take past experiences, even if it isn't sport related, to give you a bit of confidence and know there's always people there to support you, and there's always different options. Don't give up if you don't enjoy the first thing you try - it’s normal not to like everything and there's always different avenues to try.
Everyone at University of Nottingham Sport congratulates Tabitha and her team mates on an exceptional season in their return to the top flight of BUCS competition, and wish them the very best for the upcoming Notts Varsity clash against Nottingham Trent University. We would also like to wish Tabitha the very best in her future endeavours, and look forward to continuing to follow her exciting netball career.
You can find out more about the Performance Netball programme at the University of Nottingham here, and the sports scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham here