The Programme

The Netball Academy at SGS Sport provides athletes aged 16-21 with a comprehensive opportunity to advance their athletic careers while studying at SGS College. Learners in the SGS Sports Academy benefit from up to 15 hours of weekly contact time, which includes on-court training, gym-based strength and conditioning sessions, and athlete development sessions covering psychology, nutrition, and brand awareness throughout the season. Additionally, all learners receive three individual feedback sessions annually with their coaches, focusing on academic development, personal needs, and areas for improvement.

The SGS Sport program also offers an extensive Sport Science and Medical package focused on injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. This includes strength and conditioning sessions, sports rehab, sports massage, and pitch-side first aid and matchday emergency cover at the SGS WISE Campus. Each academy benefits from two strength and conditioning sessions per week, delivered by our coaches across our two performance gyms. Additionally, a dedicated team of sports rehab professionals is available to support athletes in case of injury. We also collaborate closely with the academic sports department to provide work experience opportunities for students, including sports massage services for sports academy learners. SGS College offers a dedicated ice bath facility for student use. Furthermore, there are various placement opportunities for university-level students in sports psychology, performance analysis, and strength and conditioning. For the 2024-25 academic year, SGS College, in collaboration with the University of Gloucestershire, is launching a paid MSc studentship opportunity. These initiatives aim to develop SGS College into a centre of sporting excellence and research.

The Netball program begins each August with an extensive pre-season period that combines on-court sessions with team-building activities. The main program runs from September to May, with academic schedules structured to allow access to the Sports Academy offerings. During the season, training sessions are held on Monday afternoons and Friday mornings, featuring a mix of individual, squad, and unit-based sessions.

The SGS Sport Netball games take place on Wednesday afternoons, where teams compete in the Association of Colleges (AoC) League against top colleges. Additionally, the second team participates in the AoC Sport Competition program against local colleges. By entering leagues run by the Association of Colleges (AoC), we can field players up to the age of 21, allowing our higher education learners to also benefit from playing competitive sports alongside their chosen courses.

Academic Qualifications

To participate in the Netball programme at SGS College, all learners must be enrolled in a full-time academic qualification, such as Vocational qualifications or A Levels. Many learners choose to study disciplines like Sport, Sports Media, or Media at the WISE Campus, while others pursue A Levels or Business Studies at the Filton Campus. For those studying at the Filton Campus, a shuttle bus service is available to facilitate transportation to and from the WISE Campus.

Participation in the Sports Academy provision is contingent upon adherence to the SGS Sport Code of Conduct. This code outlines expectations regarding behaviour, attendance (maintained at 92% across all academic qualifications), timely submission of work, and adherence to sporting conduct standards. Compliance with these requirements ensures learners' eligibility for involvement in the Sports Academy program.

Partners and Progression

Our Netball program has an excellent partnership with SGS Independents Netball, offering SGS Netball players the opportunity to advance and play senior netball. Additionally, SGS runs a community netball program for juniors at the under-12, under-14, and under-16 levels. This allows learners to play netball at SGS College while also gaining coaching experience within the junior program. Further collaborations include the Team Bath Futures Hub training at SGS College, which has led to the SGS Netball academy visiting Team Bath for guest coaching sessions. The Netball academy has also benefited from guest sessions and progression talks delivered by experienced coaches such as Jen Barett who coaches for the Welsh Dragons and is Head of Netball at the University of Birmingham.

Our Alumni and Academy Success

Over the years, athletes in the Netball program at SGS College have successfully balanced playing for the College with participating in academy-level netball. This has led to players like Alex Chidgey, Alyssa Henley-Furneaux and Maddie Giles advancing to play for the Severn Stars. Additionally, Millie Bombroff and Alice Barnes have represented the AoC National squad in international fixtures in recent years. However, the most notable SGS Netball alumna is Denika Campbell-Lee, who went on to represent the Hertfordshire Mavericks in the Netball Super League. In addition to this former SGS Netball Academy player Jen Barrett has gone on to forge a successful career coaching at the Welsh Dragons alongside her role as Head of Netball at the University of Birmingham. Finally, former SGS College Netball coaches Jess Thirlby (England Netball) and Tamsin Greenway (Scotland Netball) have gone on to coach international teams at the highest level.