Mike Greenwood honoured

MIKE GREENWOOD: a major influence in lifting the profile of netball in the area.

NETBALL:

A NETBALL tournament will be staged in memory of coach Mike Greenwood on Saturday.

Four teams — Manchester Thunder, Glasgow Wildcats, Yorkshire Jets and Team Northumbria — will converge on the Manchester Thunderdome at Wright Robinson College.

Debbie Hallas, a director of Thunder, said: “We wanted to do something in the way of a fitting tribute to Mike and what he did for netball.

“So we came up with the idea of naming this inaugural tournament after him. The winners will receive the Mike Greenwood Trophy. It should be a good day. The girls need court time before Christmas and it’s also a good chance for the fans to see them in action.”

Greenwood died in October 2011, after a long illness. The universally-popular 64 year old established the Oldham Netball Club 25 years ago at the end of a successful 22-year Army career, and guided the juniors to a record 40 titles.

Greenwood led the senior team through five divisions of the National League, and made it a force to be reckoned with in the National Premier League.

He took the helm at Superleague outfit Northern Thunder in 2008 and transformed them from a bottom of the league side to runners-up in three years.

Greenwood was nominated for a Pride in Oldham award in 2004, when he had made history as the first man to coach an England netball team - the national team’s under-19 side. He was also apprentice coach of the England senior team.

The tournament’s teams will be presented to the crowd at 11.15am, with the senior final expected to take place at 6.15pm. Tickets on 832 1111.




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