Manawatu co-coach John Atkins describes himself as an accidental coach.
The 52-year-old was a keen rugby and cricket man in ''his day''. His claim to fame was that he played club cricket with the Naenae Express, former New Zealand seam bowler Ewen Chatfield.
His passion for the summer code led his wife of 26-years, Rose, to joke about being a cricket widow.
These days she probably feels more like a netball widow.
Atkins, who is an engineer, got his start 10 years ago when his middle daughter's primary school team needed a coach. He was a complete novice when he answered the SOS and had to learn the game on the hop.
''My story is not that interesting,'' Atkins said.
''Initially I got started because I had three daughters. My middle daughter was at primary school and they didn't have a netball coach for their team so I put my hand up.
''I knew nothing about netball and rang Netball Manawatu and said, `Do you have any courses for absolute beginners?'. They said, `Yes, we do', and it sort of went from there.''
He coached his daughter's team for two years until she nudged Dad and said it was no longer ''cool'' for him to keep coaching her team. But poor old Dad was not about to be sidelined.
''I thought I had done my bit but then I got a call from Netball Manawatu asking if I had given any thought to coaching a rep team.
''I've just sort of moved through the grades from there.
''I've always played team sport and I love team sport. I was about rugby and cricket myself but having daughters, and they weren't interested in those avenues, it was up to me to change and I did.''
Asked if he wanted to pursue coaching, perhaps at the next level up, Atkins said he was ''very much an accidental coach.
''I'm just enjoying it and as long as I'm needed I'm happy to do whatever is required.''
Atkins shares the coaching role with Charissa Barham. Manawatu had a tough opening day at the national championships at Dunedin's Edgar Centre.
It lost 66-38 to Hamilton and was narrowly defeated 54-51 by Southland on Monday. Yesterday Manawatu was outclassed by a talent-laden Auckland outfit 67-46.
Despite struggling to foot it with the top teams, Atkins believes the team is stronger this season than the Western team he led last year.
He is not the only man helping coach a team at national level. David Marquis is the apprentice coach for Wellington.
