BCU Alumna Jess Rogers is celebrating the impact of the Commonwealth Games after working as the England Netball Legacy Lead.
Jess, who graduated in 2015 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, took on the role of Netball Competition Manager at the event before becoming the legacy lead.
We caught up with Jess to find out more about her role in the Games.
What did you get up to before and during the Commonwealth Games?
From 2019 – 2021, I was Head of Events and Netball Superleague at England Netball. In March 2021, I was given the opportunity to be the Netball Competition Manager for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. During this time, I decided to go freelance and focus on presenting Netball, as well as run my environmental business, Carbon Jacked, alongside it. So, I took on the role as a part-time consultant for England Netball and the England Netball Legacy Lead for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As a Netball Competition Manager, I was responsible for all the operational planning of the netball elements at the Games. This included everything from planning the venue layout, the lighting for the event, the number of chairs that were needed on the field of play and liaising with teams on their requirements, and everything else in between.
As Legacy Lead for Birmingham Commonwealth Games for England Netball, I crafted and led on England Netball's legacy plans for the Games. We wanted to make the most of the event being on home soil and us defending a Gold medal, and we also wanted to capitalise on this opportunity and our aim was to 'Harness the power of the Games to showcase the brilliance of netball and unlock our sport to new people to belong, flourish and soar.'
We aimed to do this through a variety of avenues, with key ones being increasing participation, enhancing our digital capabilities, having a visible presence at the Games itself and delivering our Make Your Mark campaign, which aimed to showcase that netball is more than just a sport.
What were your key responsibilities and your biggest achievements?
My key responsibilities included setting the legacy strategy, coordinating the cross-organisation delivery of the strategy and successfully bidding for and securing funding from Sport England. I also had to manage and oversee all events and activity that took place on and off-site during the Games for England Netball including Have a Go and Fan Park activations, BBC 5Live broadcast, Community Watch Parties, bespoke hospitality, staff events and much more.
My biggest achievements were definitely that over 12,500 sampled netball through legacy activations to date, including on-site and at various Commonwealth Games taster events across the country. Our ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign was also hugely successful, and our 450 netball programmes available across the country inspired women of all ages to take to the court.
What were your favourite things about being involved with the Games?
Being part of a home multi-sport Games and it shining the light on the city of Birmingham and the West Midlands was a once in a lifetime experience, especially feeling the buzz and the city come alive.
It really felt like we were part of something historic. I had been a volunteer GamesMaker and dancer in the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and so then, a whole decade later, to deliver elements of the Commonwealth Games and be involved in Birmingham 2022 was really special and felt like things had come full circle.
With my grandparents and Mum being from the Black Country, and as I went to university in the city too, made it a touch more special too. It felt like I could give something back to the city.
What legacy do you hope the Games with have on Birmingham?
Increased levels of sport for children, increased level of funding for sport, increased number of professional athletes to come from West Midlands area. For the city to have been put on the map for all the right reasons. Increased visitors to the area and more major events to take place in Birmingham.
What are you up to now and what are your future plans?
I am going to be focusing on my environmental start-up business Carbon Jacked and my work as a Presenter on netball and sustainability. I am a presenter and event host and work with Sky Sports, England Netball and Extreme E and recently filmed a Sustainability Series for Sky Sports.
I will always stay in contact with England Netball and be a friend to the organisation and will no doubt be working with them frequently in the future.
How did your degree help to get you where you are now?
My postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at BCU no doubt helped me get to where I am now, particularly with the presenting side of my career which I'm absolutely loving. I want to thank Diane Kemp and Bob Calver for a wonderful course back in 2015.