Aitken has tips for Eastern talent | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

Former Silver Ferns netball coach Ruth Aitken had some simple but relevant tips for players in Eastern Netball's High Performance Academy during a visit to Hastings last week.

Aitken, a world championship and Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning coach, stressed the importance of being committed and having stickability.

"Hard times will come during your playing careers but it's important you keep going and never give up," Aitken said.

The former Silver Ferns player also emphasised the advantages of players completing their off-season training schedules.

"You put in the work now and it will pay off once the season starts," Aitken told the academy squad, which contains secondary school players from throughout the region.

Aitken also hosted a coaching forum at the Hastings Netball Centre which attracted 17 representative and club coaches.

Eastern Netball Region's regional manager Karen Greenslade said the forum focused on the high-performance pathway for coaches.

"There are high-performance opportunities for our players and it's important we give them every opportunity to play at a higher level," Greenslade explained.

Eastern's senior team finished 12th, and last, in last year's national championships and Greenslade said a coach has yet to be appointed for this year.

"Part of the reason for bringing Ruth in was to troubleshoot some solutions to the problems our senior side faces," Greenslade said.

One suggestion is to have a three or four-strong management group in charge of the team so it isn't just the senior coach's responsibility.

"Everyone in the room agreed there is so much talent among our coaches and players in the region.

"It's just a matter of harnessing that talent and everyone working in the same direction ... that's our challenge," Greenslade added.