The former Scotland international will have Claire Maxwell alongside her as an assistant coach and player
Monday 19 August 2019 12:34, UK
Lesley MacDonald joins Strathclyde Sirens as their new head coach with Claire Maxwell taking on a dual role as assistant coach and player for the forthcoming Vitality Netball Superleague season.
MacDonald will be taking over from the former head coach Gail Parata and alongside Maxwell, will work closely alongside the franchise's new technical director - Karen Atkinson.
The remit for the trio will be to drive Sirens' Superleague programme and to integrate that within Netball Scotland's wider performance strategy.
MacDonald arrives with the experience of being Scotland's most-capped player and has over nine years of high-performance coaching in her corner, including assisting Parata at the recent Netball World Cup in Liverpool and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Maxwell made her 100th international appearance in Liverpool and has been Sirens' captain since the franchise's inception in 2017. She has also captained the national side since 2016.
"The fact that Sirens has two up and coming coaches of the calibre of Lesley and Claire is phenomenal and I am a big believer in investing in your own people," said Atkinson about the appointments.
"Lesley is an extremely knowledgeable and driven individual who understands high-performance sport. She is also a quality person with high values and self-awareness which to me are the foundations of an excellent coach.
"Claire is the heartbeat of the Strathclyde Sirens. She is passionate, knowledgeable and demands high standards from herself and those around her.
"I am excited to be working with them both as we look to provide the best possible preparation for the Sirens squad ready for the 2020 season."
Parata, who took charge of the squad for the last three seasons, will now focus on the national programme through her role as head of performance at Netball Scotland.
Sirens finished the last Vitality Netball Superleague season in ninth position while the Scottish Thistles secured 11th at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
Netball is back on your screens in October with the Fast5 All Stars Championship. We will cover all the twists and turns of the off-season as the Vitality Netball Superleague teams shape their squads for the 2020 season, which you can follow on Sky Sports.
