HELP!! My Netball Coach is Driving Me Crazy!!!

Hi there,

I am a passionate netball fan. I enjoy playing with my sixth form team and I can't help but love a bit of healthy competition!! But only just recently my coaches have started to become reluctant to put me on the team because of my asthma. As soon as I start playing sport, I breathe very deeply and wheeze/pant a lot and often require a few puffs of my Ventolin.

Returning to sixth form after Christmas, I turned up to training and played but I was never put on the team. I spoke to my coach and she replied saying that they didn't want to take me to away matches because I didn't have a sub - therefore I can no longer play in any away games. In response, I replied that I do not need a sub (despite recent asthma attacks) and I am taking medication to help my symptoms. She has yet to put me on a match but doesn't mind me playing a 40 minute game on a Sunday when the team is short of numbers.

I am sick and tired of it. I just want to be treated like a normal person and not be discriminated for something I can't help. Does anyone have any advice for me on this situation, as i'm just fed up

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I'm afraid I have no suggestions how to overcome this issue apart from maybe telling her that you feel discriminated against, and that whilst you might have health issues, it doesn't stop you from being the same as any other player on the team. Good luck and sorry you've not only had trouble with your asthma, but with your coach too!

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Have you ever had to go off becasue of your asthma? It seems a bit strange that they've started doing this if not! either way - it does seem a bit discriminatory, is there a disabilities officer or a head of year you could speak to about it? You could go to them and say you are unsure what you should do as you feel you have your asthma sufficiently controlled to play and yet the coach is unwilling to put you in the team. then they can make up their own mind as to whether or not it is a discriminatory issue! Is there a reason you cant have a sub? is there just no-one willing to come to an away match if they cant play? what would the coach do if someone was injured? not let them play becasue they've been injured in the past??

if you are very symptomatic hen you play is it possible your asthma isnt properly controlled? are you on a lot of medication? its tricky without knowing what you already take, some people are symptomatic with a high level of treatment, and for others it is a case of say going from a steroid to a combination inhaler. It depends what level you are already at but might it be worth going to discuss it with your GP? I assume you take your salbutamol 10+ mins before starting to exercise and make sure you warm up slowly??

Good luck!

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The coach always insists I be taken off - it is never my decision. They ask if i'm okay and I say i'm fine but they still take me off anyway. I have in the past had a few bad asthma attacks which they insisted taking me up to my GP for an emergency appointment. Apart from that though, I have been fine. I keep them up to date with medication changes and they have seen the little improvements through the months.

Currently I am on Qvar 100 and Formoterol 12 micrograms. I was put on them by my respiratory consultant last November after being diagnosed with Exercise-Induced Asthma. As yet, there has been no improvement to my condition - I still remain breathless after a few minutes of exercise and I am wheezy. Normally I just carry on and think nothing of it.

She has said to me before that they can only take one minibus full of players (14) so, because there is no option for me to have a sub, I can't go. There have been times where players have injured themselves before, and in those circumstances, they just take off the player and shift the positions around.

Thank you for your advice - i will arrange a meeting with my head of sixth form to discuss this issue

Thanks again