Netball Super League | Non-stop Ellie Ervine relishing role at Team Bath

Image: Team Bath

One thing to know about Team Bath midcourter Ellie Ervine is that she never stands still.

Whether it is training for an ultra-marathon, working with Bath’s Premiership Rugby players as a strength and conditioning coach or, now, preparing each week for the Netball Super League, you may struggle to find a spare half an hour in her schedule.

But the 21-year-old would not have it any other way and is already eyeing up new challenges.

The High Wycombe-born University of Bath student, who is on a placement year with Bath Rugby, has curated an online fitness community, inspiring young people to pick up their trainers and get active.

“My mum had done an ultra-marathon and during lockdown when we couldn’t train for anything she said to me and my sister to go for it,” she said.

“We got the running bug after that and haven’t stopped since – I keep on wanting to do more, enter more races and challenge myself in that way.

“I started an Instagram account during lockdown to document my training.

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A post shared by els ervine (@exercisewithellie)

“What fitness has brought to me is inspiring younger people to do things that they didn’t believe they could do.

“Recently a girl came up to me after a game and said she’s running a marathon because of my account and that is probably the best thing I’ve ever heard.

“Meeting people in real life who have been inspired by what I’ve been posting, gives me even more reason to keep going with it.”

Ervine ran her first 50km ultra-marathon in 2020 and, after a year out, trained and completed 100km.

Netball has since taken a front seat following a surprise call-up to Team Bath’s 12 by Asha Francis ahead of the season, something that has been a dream come true for Ervine, who made her debut in a 53-49 victory over Strathclyde Sirens in their season opener.

Her contract is, once again, a credit to Team Bath’s promising pathway, as Ervine stands alongside fellow talents Phoebe Maslen, Jayda Pechova and Sophie Kelly in the squad.

The possibilities are endless for the athlete and coach, as her full-time role and dedicated lifestyle continue to propel her netball to new levels.

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“I was not expecting it at all, I was thinking of training associate or partner, I’m so grateful for the opportunity Asha gave me,” she said.

“Me, Jayda [Pechova] and Soph [Kelly] all played uni netball together, it’s great because we go from one environment to the next. It’s just so much fun and good to see everyone do so well.

“Going into full-time work in my first year at the age of 20 has been an eye-opener.

“It’s also been the most amazing experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“My gym, fitness and physicality have got me to where I am today with netball. It’s not been a hindrance but a bonus that I’ve been doing alongside that.

“Being with all the players at Bath Rugby too and being in another elite sporting environment, seeing the crossover into netball has been brilliant for my development too.”

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Ervine has set her sights on an Ironman in the future, her next endurance venture following a break from training after her 100km triumph.

Her Instagram account ‘Exercisewithellie’ has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months, surpassing 12,000 followers and provides an outlet for the athlete to switch off from her hectic lifestyle.

“When I go into gym sessions with the girls and I’m not the coach but the actual athlete, I find it hard to not correct my friends or give people help with their form,” she admitted.

“Netball can get quite a lot so having that as an escape, having space and time to be by myself doing something that I enjoy, that’s massively helped balance me.

“If I get back from work and it’s been a long day, I know that it’s the time I can work for myself and do it so I can better myself.

“I would like to do an Ironman at some point but doing that alongside Super League is maybe not on the cards yet.

“I’ve taken this year out after 100km ultra to focus on netball but I would love to one day focus on that side again.”

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