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Our Netball Academy has now offered places for September 2025 across our Academy groups. We would like to thank you for your interest in the Netball Academy for September 2025. Please note that any additional places will only be available to Academy or International-level athletes, who can register their interest directly with our Head Coach Siobhan Turner, via [email protected]. We are now accepting Registers of Interest for places in the Netball Academy for September 2026.
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.
Netball Staff
Siobhan Turner
Head Coach
Fran Sorrell
Assistant Coach
Mia Williams
Seasonal CoachSGS Sport Staff
Dr Craig Barden
Head of Strength, Conditioning and Sports Therapy
Jordan Barnes
Sports Therapist
Max Cooper
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Will Crowfoot
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Pip Dickin
Sports Therapist
Daniel Newman
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Katie Northwood
Sports Therapist
Tom Riddell
Sports Rehabiliator
Connor Sidley-Adams
Curriculum Director of Personal and Social Development
Choisze To
Operations Lead
Dominic Williams
Sports RehabilitatorHow to Apply
Thank you for your interest in joining an SGS College Sports Academy!
Our Sports Academies are highly regarded, boasting national success, Olympic and Paralympic representation, medals, and pathways to professional contracts. Due to this popularity, we hold trials for each academy in October, February, and Easter.
To stay informed on trial dates and all SGS Sport updates, you can either apply formally or simply register your interest. Both options ensure our coaches have the details needed to keep you up to date on important developments with more information below.
Register interest for a Sports Academy
Register Your Interest Stay Updated: By submitting this form, you'll receive updates about trial days and taster events hosted by our Sports Academy throughout the year.
Apply for a Sports Academy
- Add a full-time course to your basket.
- While still on that full-time course page, add a sports academy by clicking on the "Sports Academy Add-Ons" tab and selecting a sports academy.
- Finally, click the Basket icon at the top right of the screen and then "Proceed with Application".
Apply for a Higher Education Course and Academy
For students interested in pursuing a Higher Education degree at SGS College, applications for academic courses can be made via Search - UCAS. Those wishing to combine their academic studies with a Sports Academy program should also complete the Register Your Interest form here.
Please Note: Higher Education students are eligible to join our American Football, Men's Football, Netball, Women's Football, or Basketball programs.