Hucclecote Netball Club has a history worth celebrating. And at the heart of that history, is the club founder, Sue Wainwright. As the club enters an exciting new chapter, we want to take the time to recognise what Sue has built, what she has given, and why her story matters to every single person who has ever been part of HNC.
After fifty extraordinary years of building and leading the club, Sue moves from Chair into the Vice Chair role. It’s a change that reflects not a stepping back, but an evolution. HNC is entering a new chapter and Sue will still be central to it.
Where It All Started
In 1974, a group of rugby players’ girlfriends got together and started a netball club. The club began to truly flourish in the early 1980s, expanding at both adult league and junior levels as it embraced youth development in a way that would define its identity for decades to come. By the mid-80s, Hucclecote had claimed numerous local titles and earned access to the South West Regional League and from there, a place in the England National Clubs Premiership Competition, where the club now competes at the highest level in Division One. Their success extends to the national junior level, with the club winning the U19 Championship title under the guidance of a young Jess Thirlby and Anna Stembridge — both of whom went on to lead the England Roses, with Jess serving as Head Coach until earlier this year and Anna, formerly her assistant, now stepping up to take the reins. The club has consistently qualified for the England National Clubs Finals at U14 and U16 levels and they have strong ties with Super League franchises, with many players selected for U15, U17, U19, and U21 squads, and several securing contracts to play for Super League teams.
What started with a group of friends has grown, over five decades, into a club competing at the highest levels including some players earning international honours representing England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, and as we celebrated just recently, the first ever HNC player heading to the Southern Hemisphere to play professionally.
Fifty Years of Giving Everything
Running a netball club for fifty years takes thousands of hours of work that nobody sees. It's the admin, the conversations, the decisions, the problem-solving, the showing up year after year because you care too much to do anything else. Sue has done all of it and has done it with a commitment that has set the standard for everyone around her.
Through her leadership as Chair, HNC developed a genuine performance pathway, a positive culture and a reputation that reaches well beyond Gloucestershire. Players have come through this club and gone on to achieve things they might not have thought possible. Coaches have grown. A whole community has been built around a sport that Sue believed in from the very beginning.
“Everything that makes HNC what it is has Sue's influence running through it. I've had the privilege of working alongside her for years, and now I get to keep doing that, just with our roles switched. This club is in its next chapter, and it's one we're writing together and with the support of our fantastic committee.”
Gilly Salter, Chair, Hucclecote Netball Club
The Next Chapter
The best clubs evolve. They take what made them great and build on it, finding new ways to grow while staying true to what they stand for. That is the journey HNC is now on. The values, the culture and the standards Sue has influenced will continue to shape how HNC continues to grow.
An independent review has given the club a clear direction and a lot to be excited about. The road ahead looks bright and we all look forward to the future at HNC.