NIC Rhinos Netball player enjoying dual role at city’s sports clubs

The recent promotion of Leeds United to the Premier League has given sports fans across the city an early reason to celebrate this year, and for NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball player Rosie Harris she has been lucky to be able to experience those celebrations close up in her role at the football club.

Alongside playing for NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball in the Netball Super League, the Sheffield-born player also has a job working with the Men’s and Women’s Academy teams at Leeds United and says it is great to be part of the club and hopes their success will inspire the other sports clubs in the city.

Harris, who rejoined NIC Rhinos this season, having been part of the club’s inaugural Netball Super League team, combines her elite netball career with supporting the strength and conditioning programmes of the city’s young footballing stars at their Thorp Arch Training facility, applying her sports science expertise to help optimise training loads and performance.

“In partnership with Leeds Beckett University, I’m working at  Leeds United with their Academy, mainly in their athletic development side,” said Harris.  “I work with the girls to develop their S&C programmes and go through testing.  With the boys, I work with their GPS data and focus on the
sports science side of it.”

Following Leeds United’s promotion, Harris said the atmosphere around the club has been incredible and she is proud to be part of it.

“The atmosphere within the club is incredible, we all know it’s an amazing thing for any club to be promoted. That comes with investment and more security within the club. Everyone is celebrating and so it’s full steam ahead to finish off the season hopefully as champions. It’s great for the city and Leeds as a whole”

Harris is now hoping that sporting success at Elland Road can have a positive impact for other sports clubs and aspiring sports stars.

“It is incredibly important for the city to have successful teams.  I know a lot of football clubs have put investment into grassroots football and it’s great to see a lot of young people across the city getting active and have something to aspire to as well.

“I know investing in community netball and rugby as well as the development of players through Academies is something Leeds Rhinos is passionate about.  The rugby club has a lot of success with their Academy Pathways and I think the foundations are in place now for NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball, and hopefully, more players from Yorkshire can find their way from a Pathway to playing Super League netball like I did.”

This Sunday, NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball take on Birmingham Panthers for the second time this season as Lauren Palmer’s team looks to pick up their second win against the team who sit a place below them in the league, to make a positive start to the second half of the 2025 campaign

One player Harris will come up against in the Panthers squad is her close friend and former team mate, ex Rhinos-captain Michelle Maggee — a fellow member of the first Rhinos squad.

“It will be great to come up against the Panthers, Michelle is a great friend of mine,” said Harris.  “She was an incredible, integral part of the growth of the NIC Leeds Rhinos and the culture here. It will be good to see some familiar faces on court.”

NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball play Birmingham Panthers in Round 8 of the Netball Super League on Sunday 4th May, FCP 6pm.