Gabby Marshall: A Year On From Retirement

A question I get asked a lot is how is retirement? I thought one year on from my injury, it would be a great time to reflect. For those of you that are unaware, I had a rather abrupt ending to my netball career, after suffering two concussions within a month.

As someone who had played netball from the age of 4 and had been playing in the NSL since 2013, there would have been large periods of my life where I couldn’t imagine myself as anything other than a netballer. Don’t get me wrong, I had plenty of other passions and things I enjoyed doing, but during parts of my career, I was so focused on being a netballer, that it was often the main focus of my identity.

Of course, to be the best in your sport, it is important that you are dedicated to your craft, however I always played my best when there was a healthy balance and when I was able to separate myself from “Gabby the netballer”.

Reflecting on this, I am fortunate that the injuries I suffered throughout my career were both a blessing and a curse. A curse because nobody should really get both of their ankles operated on at the same time (I wouldn’t recommend!).

But a blessing because they gave me the opportunity to step back from my identity as a netballer and try and get a new perspective.

I was fortunate to work for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust early on in my NSL career, who helped me recognise some of my skills and I then studied and worked in other various Athlete Wellbeing/Personal Development roles alongside my playing career.

So, fast forward a few years later, and with a quite literal bang, my career as an athlete was suddenly over due to injury. Although initially my focus was solely on returning to full health, I suddenly found myself with a pretty empty calendar after announcing my retirement. This can be quite a daunting prospect for someone who has been used to a team schedule and rigid calendar since the age of 16!

Thankfully, with the support of the NPA, who I now work for as a Player Development Manager and with my previous work under my belt, I didn’t panic. We sat down, had a chat and reminded myself of what my strengths and weaknesses were. We discussed what sort of work I was interested in and the avenues in which I could explore.

Fast forward 12 months since my injury and I am currently employed across multiple sectors that I am interested in and learning and growing in the “real world” outside of being an athlete. Of course, life looks very different from the day to day grind of playing in the NSL that I was used to, but I can honestly say I am enjoying being retired and all of the new opportunities it has offered.

My advice to any current players would be to utilise the support access you have available to you with your clubs and the NPA. My retirement could have looked very different, had I not done any of that exploratory work in my playing career.

This can be applied to multiple scenarios across your career, whether it is injuries, selection or contracting and they can all take their toll on you and your mental health and wellbeing. Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation with someone outside of your usual bubble to spark an idea, get you thinking differently or to signpost you in the right direction.