NETBALL Scotland waited patiently with baited breathe this week for the draw to be held when they would find out their opponents at next years Commonwealth Games.

Drawn in Group B, they will meet New Zealand ranked second in the World along with England third, Malawi sixth, and Wales eighth.

Now while this doesn’t sounds like an easy group, the players and staff are all looking forward to the challenge. At the same time Netball Scotland are keeping their eye on the domestic game as they launched Walking Netball this week.

So now there is no excuse for those of us who think that we are past running up and down a court, we can walk, have fun and get fit, all indoors. So for more information on where your local club is, contact our new Community Impact Officer Kate Thomson at walkingnetball@netballscotland.com THIS week I had the pleasure to make a presentation to a great group of women all of whom are involved in some way or other with Scottish Curling.

We met at the new elite training centre, which has only been opened for two weeks, The Peek in Stirling.

Attending the presentation on the night was a mix of athletes and staff.

We had players Eve Muirhead, Vicki Adams and Lauren Grey as well as Judith McCleary who is Head of Development, Kate Weldon, Media Consultant and several other females involved in the administration and support services within the sport.

After a shaky start when my, decidedly dodgy IT skills where put to the test, we enjoyed a chat around women in sport, where it has come from, where it is at the present time, and where we all believe it will go in the future.

A certain generation, mine to be exact, will remember that nail biting moment when Team Martin secured the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Since then Curling has produced another amazing Team, Team Muirhead, led by skipper Eve, and they are on course for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.

With a bronze at the World Championships in March, and a third place finish in the European Championships, I am sure we are in for another strong performance and perhaps some more nail biting moments with a golden ending in Pyeonchang.

CAN I ask, does anyone know what happened to our summer this year? I can’t remember one being quite so bleak and disappointing.

Another indicator that we are moving quickly into autumn is that children are back at school and it is fair to say that we will soon be looking at Halloween, Bonfire Night and the either loathed or loved build-up to Christmas.

Apologies to all of those who ban the X word until at least the end of September.

It is good to get back into a routine and many parents will take comfort knowing that their children are being provided with a good education, putting their faith in the education system hoping that it will ensure a strong pathway for the future of their off-springs. There is something else that parents can do to assist in your childs education; get them involved in sport.

A recent global online survey of 400 women executives found that 49% of those surveyed were in the C-suite, meaning that they serve on the board of directors at a company or in another C-level position, such as CEO, CFO or COO. The remaining 51 per cent surveyed were in other management positions.

From that group it emerged that 61 per cent said that past sporting involvement has contributed to their current career success and that a background in sport has a positive influence on their own hiring decisions, with more than two-thirds (67per cent) highlighting a background in sport as a positive influence on their decision to hire a candidate.

So the motto is, if you want to get ahead, get a sport. Most sports have reconvened after the summer break, so now is a good time to get your child involved. If you want to find your where local classes are, pop on the website of most sports and they will be listed there.