Mary French (netball)

Mary French
Personal information
Full nameMary Patricia French (née Bushell)
Born(1926-02-13)13 February 1926
Died15 January 2016(2016-01-15) (aged 89)
SchoolMary Datchelor School
UniversityDartford College of Physical Education
Netball career
Playing position(s): GK, GD
Years Club team(s) Apps
1945–19xx Surrey County
Years National team(s) Caps
1949–1957 England
Coaching career
Years Team(s)
1967–1975 England
1983 Northern Ireland[1]
1984–1986 Wales

Mary French (13 February 1926 – 15 January 2016) was an England netball international, coach, umpire and administrator. As a player she represented England at the 1949 England Scotland Wales Netball Series and captained England during the 1956 away series against South Africa. Between 1967 and 1975, she served as England head coach, including at the 1967, 1971 and 1975 World Netball Championships. Between 1984 and 1986, she served as Wales head coach. Between 1963 and 2015, French attended 13 different World Netball Championships either as a coach, volunteer or spectator.[2][3]

Early life, education and family

French was born Mary Patricia Bushell on 13 February 1926 and grew up in Brockley, South London. She initially attended Mary Datchelor School. Between 1943 and 1946 she attended Dartford College of Physical Education. She began teaching at Purley County School and later moved on to teach mathematics at Croydon High School. In 1957, she married Philip French, a bank inspector, and they had two daughters, Jaqi and Nicky. Both of her daughters attended Croydon High School while she was a teacher there. Philip French died in 1985.[2][4][5]

Playing career

Early years

As a schoolgirl, French helped pioneer netball in Wales. Mary Datchelor School, including French, was evacuated to Llanelli for the duration of World War II. One of French's PE teachers, Marion Morton, helped form a small committee to organise netball matches, some of which featured French. This committee later became the Wales Netball Association.[4][5][2][3][6] In 1945 she began representing Surrey County as a goalkeeper.[2][3]

England

Between 1949 and 1957, French played for England. She played as a goal defender for England as they made their Test debut during the 1949 England Scotland Wales Netball Series. She later captained England during the 1956 away series against South Africa.[2][3][4][5][7][8]

Coaching career

England

Between 1967 and 1975, French served as head coach of England, including at the 1967, 1971 and 1975 World Netball Championships. In 1975, she guided England to second place.[2][3][9]

Tournaments Place
1967 World Netball Championships[10] 4th
1971 World Netball Championships[11][12] 3rd
1975 World Netball Championships[3] 2nd

Source:[1]

Wales

Between 1984 and 1986, French served as Wales head coach.[2]

Legacy

Mary French Award

The Mary French Award for Lifetime Services to Netball recognizes those who have given exceptional service to Wales Netball. The award was instigated in 1989 by French herself. In August 2024, the outgoing Wales Netball Chair, Catherine Lewis, was honored with the award.[6][13]

Honours

Individual Awards
Year Award
2001[2][14] England Netball's Hall of Fame
2010[15] Europe Netball Service Award
2011[16] England Netball Honorary Life Membership Award
2015[3] INF Service Award

References

  1. ^ a b "WNC Captains and Coaches from 1963". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. September 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "England Netball – Hall of Fame". www.englandnetball.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "INF Service Award – Presented at INF Congress, Sydney, August 2015 – Mary French" (PDF). World Netball. August 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Mary French - "The Times" Obituary". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "2016 Obituary for Mary French". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Our Journey". walesnetball.com. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Our History – 73 Years since the first Thistles international match – 1947-1949". www.netballscotland.com. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  8. ^ "1956 England Tour Party of South Africa". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  9. ^ "1975 Mary French, England Coach and National Technical Officer". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  10. ^ "1967 England Seniors". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  11. ^ "1970/71 England flying to the 3rd World Tournament, Jamaica, plus articles and Candle Lighting Ceremony, 30th December 1970 to 12th January 1971". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  12. ^ "1971 3rd World Tournament, Jamaica". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Farewell to Chair of the Board: Catherine Lewis". walesnetball.com. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  14. ^ "2001 The first Hall of Fame". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Europe Netball Service Award Holders". www.europenetball.com. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  16. ^ "Honorary Life Membership Award". www.ournetballhistory.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.