Netball Northern Ireland has recently appointed Elaine Rice as their new head coach. The 43-year-old takes over from Dan Ryan, who stepped down from the role at the end of last month.Who is Elaine Rice?She is no stranger to Northern Ireland’s national side, having already coached them three times in the past, as well as being a former captain of the Warriors.Alongside her role as the nation’s head coach, Rice is also a Senior Lecturer at St Mary’s University College in Belfast.Under her leadership in the past, she has guided Northern Ireland to the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup, a silver medal at the European Netball Championship in 2017 and an eighth-place finish at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

What will she be aiming to do?

Rice will be aiming to guide the Warriors, who are currently the 11th highest ranked country in the sport, to Commonwealth Games qualification. The event will be held in Birmingham, England next year.

In order to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year, she will have to make sure Northern Ireland maintains their status as a top-12 ranked nation in netball.

Speaking on Netball Northern Ireland’s website about her re-appointment, Rice said:

“It’s a great privilege to be given this opportunity to coach the Warriors again at such an important period and I’m grateful to Netball NI for putting their faith in me. Anyone who knows me will be aware of how passionate I am about the team.

“Whenever the Northern Ireland netball team plays, I find myself emotionally involved, whether on the sideline as head coach, watching helplessly from afar or impatiently refreshing for updates!

“I am exceptionally proud of what the team achieved when I had the honour of doing the job before, but now we’re looking to the future. It’s an exciting challenge and I’ll leave no stone unturned in the quest for fresh success.”

Caroline O'Hanlon

Why did Dan Ryan step down?

Previous coach Dan Ryan recently revealed to GiveMeSport Women he stepped down from the role so he could see his family back in Australia.

“The only reason why I had to step down from that job was so I could actually go home to Australia,” he said.

“In my off-season, I haven't been home for three-and-a-half years and the COVID-19 pandemic no longer allows for a quick trip back to Australia. So the reality was going to be that if I was to stay on with Northern Ireland, I wouldn't be able to get home until September 2022.

“Family is important to all of us and when you're living so far away from home, it does put perspective on what are the important things in our life. And while I love my work, and I love all of my jobs, they aren't the most important thing to me.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Northern Ireland fare under Rice’s leadership once again. Several members of her 2018 Commonwealth Games squad ply their trade in the Superleague – Caroline O’Hanlon represents Manchester Thunder, Michelle Drayne turns out for London Pulse, and Fionnuala Toner and Michelle Magee are at Leeds Rhinos.