Manchester’s up and coming recent talent Taylor McKevitt has had an impressive rise to the Netball Superleague and now, plies her trade for the Strathclyde Sirens after signing for the Scottish team back in 2019.
She moved from London Pulse, having previously been at Manchester Thunder where she won five Northern Premier League titles.
Now in her third season in Scotland, the wing defence helped Sirens to a sixth placed finish in 2021 – their best-ever campaign.
However, McKevitt continues to live in Manchester despite playing netball and just completing a university degree over in Strathclyde where she had accommodation.
Most weeks she came home to play for Oldham, her hometown club, as well as various coaching roles.
McKevitt admits it’s something she’s got used to but is still a challenge at times.
“Logistically I’ve always lived in Manchester and then travelled each weekend to London for Pulse or Scotland for Sirens,” she said.
“Doing this whilst doing my bachelor’s degree and masters was tough.”
This has led to decisions on time management and keeping the right balance in order to maintain high level performances for her team.
Focus on netball has become more apparent since her university course came to an end and she realises how the commuting could have had an impact.
“Travelling each week for Superleague, university and for Oldham in the Premier League whilst trying to do well with work and keeping a social life was difficult,” McKevitt admitted.
“You do learn how to manage your time well but it’s always going to be a tricky balance and there are days you’re always going to feel tired.”
The mid-court playmaker made the decision to leave the North for the South to play for London Pulse in 2018 but knows these moves have been a detriment to her career so far.
“I was actually quite eager to move as I was so hungry to get some more court time,” said McKevitt.
“Breaking into the Superleague is super hard, Thunder was really good for my development as a youth player.
“And then I went to Pulse for a year which was my first season in the league which is how I got scouted for the Sirens.”
McKevitt is a coach at DNA and The University of Manchester Netball.
The 23-year-old is also part of a netballing family, her father Tei Narnor is a lead coach at DNA Netball Club based in Whitefield along with her two sisters, Kasmine and Nikita, who play for the club.
Strathclyde Sirens currently sit in ninth position in the Vitality Superleague, enduring a tough opening to the season after nine matches played, with only three wins so far.
McKevitt knows the team needs to improve but her own performances continue to impress.
“Netball at the moment is going okay,” she stated.
“I’m happy with a lot of my own individual efforts and getting player of the match a couple of rounds ago.”
“As a team we aren’t getting as many wins as we were last season so definitely hoping to stack up some more in the last part of the season.”
McKevitt has just won the Premier League with Oldham at the weekend, recently captained the Sirens at the top level and has played for England at Under 17 and Under 19 level.
This is just the beginning of what could be a stellar career for the versatile netballer.
