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Open up your book of great SPORTING MOMENTS. England Roses, THEY JUST REWROTE HISTORY AGAIN. This new era Netball Superleague has had it all. That is what it means. This place, this time, this team. London Pulse are crowned Netball Superleague champions 2025. Hi, it's Tamsin here. Before we start this week's episode of Off The Court, I'm just hopping on to give you a trigger warning, as this episode contains discussions of postpartum depression, mental health, and suicidal thoughts. If you think you might be affected by this episode today, then there are plenty of other Off The Court podcasts to go back and listen to. And of course, if there's anything we discuss, then advice can be found at sky.com/viewersupport.
Welcome to Off The Court. I'm Tamsin Greenway, head coach of London Mavericks, and joining me every week is co-host Tracey Neville, managing director of Stockport County Women's football team, and of course the ex-England Roses coach. Now, we're very excited today, and I'm particularly excited. I've been waiting for this interview for a very long time, to say that global superstar, Jamaican defender, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey joins us on Off The Court. And Trace, I'm going to hand it straight over to you. Well, Sham, we actually got the dates right this time, because we actually asked Sham to come on last week. She thought it was Tuesday. I It was definitely Wednesday, and then I asked her to come on Monday, and we wanted Wednesday. So, we I'm actually
fortunate that we got our ducks in line and got you on air, Sham. Just how are things going at the Thunderbirds? How's Tanya doing? How's Kathy doing? I think everything is going um really great. And you know, we have our moments on court, and you know, we work on that off the court at training. And I think that environment and the camaraderie around the team is really good at the moment and we want to keep that up. We're keen to get some Kelly sessions in um moving forward and leading into the semi-finals to, you know, how to deal with the background noises of us wanting to win um the finals and also the semi-finals. That'd be good for us.
Sham, I think when I was there, you obviously had um sort of an off-court leadership within the group, but you're not actually a pinpointed leadership role. You've taken on a lot more responsibility now with the team and I think in the huddle um at the weekend, you made a really key point to your team in saying that you know, we had a 10-goal lead, we need to be able to retain that and not lose it. What sort of things would you be working on in training to try and, you know, overgo them pressures? I think [snorts] some easier fixes that learning how to keep the ball in our possession for much longer even when the team puts on a bit more pressure on us and like focusing and I feel like things like drop balls and
stepping shouldn't be something that we should be called for often. So, those are small fixes and how to move into space and I feel like in the attacking end it got a bit crowded and we weren't moving into the spaces that we should have, but in the end we got over the line, but those are the small fixes that we need to work on especially coming up against the Vixens team next week. You know what, Sham? I was laughing because I was watching your game against Mavericks, I think, at the weekend and there was a big turnover and it was clear you know, Mavericks had come back at you and you get a big turnover and you were putting like your
fists in the air or you were like calming everyone down whilst playing every other ball and I was thinking, I can see what she's doing here. If I asked my players to do that, we'd probably drop it one-handed. It go of the straight out of the court? But you just seem to have that calming influence with the team. Is that something you've been really working on? Yeah, something I've been really working on and with that like whenever we get under pressure and things hit the fan, you always have to have that stand tall person and I became that stand tall person in the defensive end. To know that when we come up with the ball, we need to calm and we need to be calm and we need to score off of it.
Well, you get lots of opportunity with how much ball you come up with, so that helps as well. Um I want to talk a little bit about your journey because I'm not sure everybody listening will remember this. I feel like our netball fans have a very we tend to have this very short-term memory of remembering now people winning and people being brilliant, but you actually played in the Netball Super League in 2018 for Loughborough Lightning and we'd seen you on the international circuit and you came over for Loughborough Lightning. How important was that on your first step of your journey? Because a year in the Super League and after that you got signed for Team Bath, but I mean you absolutely tore up your court. Have you
got fun memories of the Super League? Is it something you'd recommend for players coming in to start their career? I'll never forget I'll I'll never forget that time when I got that contract for Loughborough Lightning, something that I've been wanting. I've always wanted to go to SSN, but I know that I knew that I had to start somewhere and England it was where I started and I absolutely loved playing in England. Just not only with just I feel like the fans there that loved me so much so showed me so much support and how diverse the country is. That was something very big for me, but I feel like players that are looking forward it's absolute it's absolutely no doubt that the English team is also one of the best
leagues um, the world and if you're wanting to start there, that's okay. You don't have to come directly straight to the SSN. You can go to England because it's very, very competitive there as well. And how they've changed the rules and all of that and the payments and all of that will be somewhere good to start. We've clocked a few players that we think now should make that next move to SSN. So, when you made the transition from NSL to SSN, what were the differences that you, um, what were saw in your playing and had to adapt in your playing? Okay, so like moving from England to SSN was so, so much different. I mean, the training environment was so different.
The professionalism from the club that I was at was very, very different and I was even saying to cuz one of our training partners went to England, Tyler, and I was explaining to her that it was a lot different at Love Road than it is here in SSN because you know that we have to do gym. We train at a certain time for probably three times a week and I remember that being at in England like gym was mandatory, but not every time we went to the gym. And I know like for other clubs, um, like where probably Simone is at, like the gym is not really recommended. Like it's not something that they really heavily depend on and Yes, I think that with SSN now you have to be hitting the gym. There's no doubts about missing the gym. They'd
rather have you do the gym than the court session because of course that's very important. And each game you play is very high and very competitive. And I remember when I first got here and I had my first training session, I cried. I cried off how hard it was because I haven't used to that haven't been used to that, training load. And like even being in the Jamaican team, I've never experienced that type of training load. So, when I got here, I cried and I said I wanted to go back home because it was too hard for me. But yeah, I think making the big step would be something good if you want if you're wanting to get better and play against the best. That makes me laugh that I almost remember the first time and I won't
name the player and I won't name the coach come over and did a session with us and I think she got exercising juice diarrhea. And you know who you are player if you're listening to this off the court. I think there were two players. One fell down the netting at the velodrome and one run to the toilet. Sham, just following up on that. Um we I obviously had the really unique experience of building the Mavericks. Um Tamzin's got a great experience in reforming the Mavericks here in the UK as well.
You were part of the early days of Adelaide Thunderbirds. Um I think you joined in 2019. Um and the question I want to ask to you is, you know, at that time for 4 years, you know, you're in that seventh place. Like how have the Thunderbirds formed? What's really important in that build? I remember like coming into the Thunderbirds and probably losing almost every single game in SSN and like it was my first year. I wasn't okay with losing, but I know the team was building. And then it came on to the second year and it was the same thing. The third year again and it was the same thing. And I remember saying to myself, no. I at least in my career I want to be able to win and an SSN um final. Then I was
considering on moving, but then the support that Thunderbirds have shown me over the years, I was very much loyal to the to the Thunderbirds. And you know that I continued with that team and then we build and we recruited the players necessary for a while looking at our pathway and inviting some of those training some of those players to become training partners and that's how we helped build the club up. Somewhere down the line, Tanya found something and I think like when L came when Eleanor came, that was one of the big step for us because she came in as an international and you know um L came with such leadership um for the group that we were very grateful for and she's like a very resilient player
and that's something that we've we've never had back in the past. I'm also a resilient player, but if I'm on if I'm the only resilient one in the team, it doesn't make sense. And then with L coming into the team, that was something that we were grateful for because you know what? We know that when it's time to play with her, it's game time and the way how she revs up the team during those huddles was something we were very grateful. It's that type of leader that you're wanting to play for of how she spoke to us in training of how we what we need to get done. And then Tanya and Cathy has done so much work with this team, especially I'll say Cathy has grown my defensive work over the years. Um at this point, I think Cathy is the
best defensive coach there is at this moment. I'm really grateful but how far the Thunderbirds has come, it wasn't easy, but we are able to get there. And in all of this, sometime in sometimes in sport, well most times in sport, it just takes a bit of patience to build and build until you find the right one. You know what? I love what you've talked about there because in sport, everybody wants instant results and as players, you want instant results as well. But it's what I was trying to say earlier, like people forget how much goes into that. And when you look at those squads when you joined in 2019, you talked about the mass exodus as well. I think you guys went through like four shooters before you got to Elle.
Like you'd had Maria in there, I think people forget that. Lenize was your key shooter when you were in that group. You'd had Catty Vaiti Shamir in there. Wilson was out there the year before you joined. So you'd had so much going on. And what I love is like how long you uh Latanya uh Tilly Garrett have actually been together. And actually how much how long Georgie Houges has actually been in the squad. Now I know she wasn't a starter. But you guys built together and grew. And you talk about that work that Cathy was doing on your defensive game. It finally all came together but by giving those players
exposure. And I just want to pick up on the leadership part because you mentioned Elle coming in as a leader. Even when you have really young exciting players, how key is it that you have someone super experienced that just goes, "This is how you do it. This is how things are done. This is how we win. This is how we lose. This is how we prepare." Sometime you just need that one player to show you that, "Hey, sometime it's okay losing sometimes but how do you bounce back from that?" Because I remember like being in the past when we lose, it's what it was just, "All right. We lost in the game.
On to the next." We lose it again, "On to the another game. On to the next." And I feel like with Georgie, who came in as an train as a training partner, we automatically saw that Georgie had a lot of resilience in her and somebody that will be able to she's very coachable and I can say being here for 8 years I've never seen Jordie complain about anything at all. She's just this calm player that gets the job done. And with L coming into the lead and sparking the leadership, I think that's where we've all grown and I've learned a lot from L um with her leadership. And yeah, and probably that's how myself and Jordie now are now the captains based on what we learned from L and also Hannah Petty and even Taylor
who's there with us as well and Matilda. Can I just ask one more question on performance then? Um Thunderbirds is so exciting for me. They're so exciting because it's a mixed bag. Like even this year signing Kate Heffernan signing Elle Moore Ray. Like Thunderbirds have always done that. When Tracy went in there and coached like Tanya was very open-minded to that. That has the workings of something incredible which you've got at the minute. It can also be really, really tricky. How you bringing all those nations and all those different players and it's very un-Australian. I mean that in the kindest way in terms of you know,
Australia always have very similar players coming through the conveyer belt of talent and yet you guys have broken the mold out over there. Can you tell me what are the strengths of that but also what might be the weaknesses of having such a mixed group? And do you all get on cuz on the international circuit you'd be like going Kate do. At this moment we really do get on and with Kate Heffernan coming in the into the team, I always said to her that you are the best Kiwi pick up in the Suncorp Super League at this moment. And like I would everything with this team and this year is something that we've always wanted. We wanted to be firing in the attacking end, firing in the
defensive end and if something is not working, you know, that we can always depend on that bench to come on and sorry, I forgot the rest of your question. No, that's fine. It's um you well you're I love I loved it. I absolutely loved it. But do you enjoy playing with all those different styles? Is there any weaknesses from it or actually is it just like you said, you get the best of the best and it's like you're thriving off that? I know well like when with internationals, there was a bit of saying that there's too much international in the league and all of that and blah, but then you are you consider this league as the best
league in the world. So, why would you want to put a limit on internationals that come that comes in the league? And I think it's actually a good thing for the Diamonds because the Diamonds are getting a bit of practice on some of the best players in the league that plays for other nations. So, I think it's helping them and it's also helping us as well. So, I don't see a problem with it and I think that's something that the others should be grateful for. Shum, I know when I come to Adelaide, I come with this sort of young sprightly little 3-year-old. Um at times it was really difficult for me obviously cuz I was a single mom out there, but the love that sort of you, Taylor, Tipper, the
club had around me, I couldn't probably have done it on without you. Um and the love that you show for Neve was incredible and you've spoke to a lot about the hardships you've had now having your own little one and Bobs and what I mean I know what amazing mom you are because the love like I say you show for Neve, but I think the question I want to ask to you is like when did you know when did you first notice something wasn't right? I think that is something is really difficult to sort of get your head around. When did you notice something wasn't right when you had Bobs? All right, so before I went in the hospital, I had a bit of pain, went to the hospital, they sent me back home with medication, still
was under some pain, went back to the hospital and that's where they said, "Hey, she's feeling a lot of pain. We're going to keep her." When I had my baby, there was like no emotions. I wasn't happy. I wasn't like I was just so sad. Like no emotions whatever and that's when I knew that something was wrong because how can I was so excited that I'm pregnant, so excited that I'm having a boy and then right when I had my baby, no emotions, no nothing. I haven't shown arms since and I remember I'd been on the ward and I'd been in recovery. Like I was still in a bit of shock and the trauma that childbirth gave me, I think that messed with my head as well. So, fast forward to when we came home. Now, we came home
with Bubz. Bubz was all healthy and all of that, which I'm grateful for and I came home and I couldn't stop crying. Like I cried, I cried, I cried because you know, as a new mom, I'm not used to not getting my sleep. I'm not used to like doing like I actually have to be taking care of a human and being right now for the rest of my life and I remember just crying and crying every day. I know when it was worse at night times. At night times when I see the night coming, it was the worst bit for me and I don't know why and thank God I had a supportive husband because like even what broke me the most was I'm going through the postpartum depression and ending up on the mental health ward at the hospital and that broke me so much because I've been on the ward, sitting there I'm
like, Sham, what are you actually doing on the mental health ward at the hospital being given medications to settle my anxiety and all of that and I remember breaking down at the hospital, crying and then this lady came she was a Thunderbirds netball fan at the time and she came I don't know if she saw me when I came in initially but I remember her coming to the mental health ward and she hugged me so tightly and then I started crying again and then she said to me, you'll be okay. I've been through this and then she even mentioned taking my name off the public list for the persons on the mental health ward just to protect just to protect me I remember after that the hospital decided that they're going to send me to
Helen Mayo House say Helen Mayo House is a place where they send moms with postpartum depression and all of that and when I went to Helen Mayo House that's when I broke down again because what the hell am I doing at a mental facility like what am I doing here I've never had mental issues in my life before I was okay it was a smooth pregnancy like how did I end up here and I started crying I remember threatening my husband saying if you leave me here I would not speak to you again and then they made the decision Jane which is all will be in person at Thunderbirds who played a huge role with helping me she helped got me out of Helen Mayo House and then when I went home back Jenny let came from Perth to stay with
me for two weeks and Romelda came for one week and I remember being here and I sat down in the room by myself while they had bubs outside and I saying do I really need to go back to Helen May house and I'm saying to myself I actually need the help. My little boy needs me so much and that's when I decided that hey I'm going to go back to Helen May house just to get the treatment that I need. At the time pack my bag Andrew took me back to Helen May house and that's when I started crying. I cried every single day from I had baby to when I went on medications and started to get a bit better. Now fast forward to November I went to Perth.
I stayed with Jen a little bit. I was okay. I was okay at that but I wasn't eating much or anything like that but I was okay because I was around people and all of that and I at the time I had made plans to go home so with excited felt all right because medications were working and then as soon as I got to Jamaica I went back straight to where I was coming from depressed crying vomiting every single chance I get because I couldn't keep anything down and it's just that it was so hard. My newborn days I did not enjoy at all and like when I saw myself having suicidal thoughts because I couldn't take the pain anymore of the depression or anything like that. That's what brought me the most and then I remember my husband begging me to stay strong because we have a
little boy now and I think that's what helped me to kind of snap out of it but at some point I still was crying and crying. Like I cried, I cried, I cried. I even I remember being here and just like I'm not the type of person like to go on my knees and pray, but I remember just go going on my knees, praying and begging God to please let me feel better. Like please, please, please. And I for a couple of months I like I wasn't okay. I was not okay. And each time some somebody hugs me, that's the time I broke down the most because what am I doing on the mental health ward? I've never struggled with mental health or anything. And even now playing being back in netball, which is my happy space and my happy
space, I remember playing the Vixens in Melbourne. Um, and I remember like just I was just crying in the changing room. Like and if you ask me what's wrong I couldn't tell you what's wrong with me. I remember just I went on court and I still played and I still played while I was playing I was crying and I remember just taking a sideline throw in and I was just crying my eyes out. And if you and if somebody had asked what was wrong, I could not tell them what was wrong. And that's when I realized that I relapsed back into my postpartum depression. Then I started seeing a psychiatrist again and a psychologist and the psychiatrist up my dose on my medication and I started feeling a bit better. And now that lightning game, that's when I
started on my new medication and I don't know what went wrong there, but I could just feel myself just going down and down. I remember signaling to Tanya that I can't do it. I just remember coming off and crying my eyes out in the changing room and then my husband came in with my son and that's when I was able to calm down, but I'm grateful to say that I'm I'm a bit better now, but not where I wanted to be. I don't know myself. I'm still trying to find myself. I have my good days and I have my bad days, but I'm I'm far from where I used to be. The Shamira that I know I still don't know who I am today, but as I said, I have good and I have bad days and today is one of my good days, so I'm really grateful for
that for that, but I have my moments when I just sit down and I cry and I get depressed. And it's not even No, it's the problem with being a new mom now. It's the battle with anxiety and the weak feeling that it gives me in my stomach and all of that. And like you know, for you know, when you're coming up and when you're playing big games, you kind of get nervous and the anxiety that brings on me is something that I can't deal with and yeah, I've been trying mindfulness. Been like cannot sleep at all. I tried sleeping until now I'm used to not sleeping because with the anxiety, with everything I just like and like every
There's a lot of time I sit here and I wonder how did you get here? And it's and I think it's my birth journey and all of that put me into postpartum depression and that's something I'll never want to go through again because like it's like I went to hell and back but I'm grateful that I'm not in that place anymore and I have a lot of support and as I said today is a better day but I do have my days when I just can't deal with it. Shimera um I don't think we've ever had anybody that we've sat and cried with on this show and I know me and Tracy that was super emotional and you know what how raw that was to sit there and talk about that in that manner how brave you
are. I know we talk about our netball family and you mentioned the support of Janelle and Romelda and the club and everyone else and I know the outpouring of love um from all the netball fans and I think this is the thing when you're a global superstar as you are you're on a pedestal everyone sees you before the format you do but I think netball gives you so much more than that it gives you an insight into to actual female lives that you're dealing with every single day and that you spoke a lot about mental health as an athlete it's something that is forefront and center because you have to perform every week and yet when it battles with you off the court it's something that you can't even comprehend and I just want to say like
as someone who's had children and hasn't had to go through that I can't even imagine cuz I know how tough it is without it. Um I just want to say thank you for sharing. I know that was completely raw. Um but what you're doing for the sport is absolutely incredible and I know that doesn't always help all the time but even just speaking about that you don't understand how many people that will actually help and I just want to say thank you for sh- for sharing all of that Trace. look. Um for um anyway Moving on. I think when you're in the public eye, everyone expects you to be perfect. And that's probably the hardest thing, and I think that for you to come out in
the public eye and say what you've done that must have been so hard for you. Um but I'm I'm I know when you do it that there's support that you have around and the support that we have that you are a person, I think that's something that people don't accept. Um And it I think I'm going to change this. I'm going to ask you a different question. Also, I'm going to be out there and I'll be flying to see you in a minute. Um I know. Um obviously, I think I've noticed the hardest thing for you know, you brought um Jeneil down, you brought Malda down. You know, culturally you don't probably have the people around you to have even a child away
from where you grew up is pretty hard. What would you say um Sham, like growing up in Jamaica? Why? You see the athletes now that come through, there's so much the men like they're so much tougher. What do What are you doing out in Jamaica that makes you so men more mentally tough? But what you see What would you say to a youngster now to get yourself to this level? Like playing netball now is hard. It's really difficult, but you know, you bring through athletes that are so mentally and physically tough. Like I remember like training with the Sunshine Girls, and I remember that World Cup team where Jill was coaching Jamaica, and I didn't make that team. And I felt some type of way that
I didn't make that team because at the time I was fit, I could play, I could do everything, but I didn't make that team, but that didn't stop me from still trying out with the Jamaican. I just want to say that sometimes when you try try things, you'll not get the result that you always want. Sometimes you're going to have disappointment, but it's how you bounce back from that. And just know that patience is always key cuz I know even at this point in Jamaica, some of the girls if they don't get picked for a tour, they just stop. And I remember being there not getting picked for a tour, and I just sat there and waited my turn. And here I am today playing in the best netball [clears throat] league I'm in the world. So it takes a bit of
patience, and I was determined because I didn't grow up being rich. I was basically say in a bit of poverty. And to break that, you have to go after the after something that you want. And that something I wanted to break, and I'm really proud to say that I'm I'm able to take care of me, my son, and my entire family. And I have a family that look up against me, especially my little sister. I have a little sister who is 5 years old and said she wants to be like me. So it's very good to hear that um from her. And yeah, being able to take care of everybody. And they always say that in the moment you should take care of take
care of yourself as well. And I haven't been doing that, but what makes me happy is to take care of my family first. But I promised my husband that I'll take care of myself as well in the moment. Jhaniele, two questions from me to finish off then. A, can I sign your little sister? Is she going to be as good as you? I'll sign her already. And B, B, is Jamaica getting a gold medal because it is a possibility? Would that be the cherry on top for you? Because that team has come so far. It used to be England were your bigger rivals. Australia are now all of ours. And that shift over the last 10 years I've seen internationally has been amazing. I
used to laugh with Romelda. I was like, "Romelda, say hi to the girls." I was like, "Romelda, I'm your friend." She was like, "Not when we play England." I'm like, "Oh, for God's sake." Anyway. Is that the cherry on top? Can it be done? Is that the final piece of the puzzle? At the moment, Tamsin, I'm going to be honest with you. How I was confident, but then going into a Commonwealth Games compared to now, I'm not much confident. The team has just started training, but I know we have a bunch of resilient girls, but then you have to be training. You have to be wanting it.
I would love to win a Commonwealth Games or even get a medal, but the medal that I want is not a silver or a gold or a bronze. I want a gold medal. So, I thought we had an exclusive then, Sham. Yeah, we're going for bronze. It's fine. At this moment, I don't know where Jamaica is standing right now because over the years we haven't had much of a pathway. And now that you see that every single time there's a Commonwealth Games or a World Cup, it's always the same team. Because I think Jamaica has not done enough work to bring through the pathway girls or create the pathway for the girls. So, at the moment, I'm keen to see what will happen at the Commonwealth Games. As I said, we have a
group of resilient girls. And yeah, if we're wanting to win, we're we have to be doing the work and the girls back home but they might not get the training like what we're getting here in SSN but I'm hoping that whatever they're doing back home it's some it's it's enough to win the Commonwealth game but I do hope and pray that we will be in that finals. Well, if anyone can lead them Shimera it's you and if anyone can inspire it's you Latanya Jody-Ann Jhaniele Romelda all the players we've been watching for the last few years just absolutely thrive on the international stage and
change the game. Do not forget what an inspiration you are to lots of people who wish they could jump as high as you I me included. So listen that interview did not disappoint as I said I've been waiting a very long time to speak to you. You've literally inspired me for the last 10 years in terms of the way that you play the game and how you've changed the game as well. So thank you for that. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for taking your days right this week. I won't leave you and Tracy in charge ever again of trying to organize anything.
Good luck with the weekend as an English fan over here T-Birds are definitely top of my list to win that Premiership. I'm rooting for you guys and I actually can't wait to see Jamaica perform at the Commonwealth Games. If it's not England I won't mind it being you guys. Thank you so much for joining us Sham. And thank you so much for having me. Thank you so much.
