Club and country are full-time focus as rising England star Imogen Allison recommits to Team Bath for 2021 Netball Superleague season
She may have completed her academic studies but rising England star Imogen Allison is delighted to be continuing her sporting education with Team Bath Netball after signing up for the 2021 Vitality Superleague season.
The 22-year-old wing-defence has spent her previous four seasons in the Blue & Gold, combining some outstanding on-court performances with studying Sports & Exercise Science at the University of Bath.
Having graduated in the summer, Allison is now looking forward to fully focussing on her netball career – both with club and country having been selected for the full-time England senior squad this year.
“It’s year five for me with Team Bath and I’m massively excited to be back in the Blue & Gold,” said Allison, who made her senior debut for the Roses against New Zealand two weeks ago.
“I think I have built and developed with the team over the last few seasons and it’s been really fun to build relationships with different players. I never once thought about going elsewhere. I love Bath as a city, I love living here and I’ll still be around the Team Bath Sports Training Village a lot even though I’m not a student!
“Being a student was great but it meant I had less opportunity to focus on my netball. As a full-time athlete this year, I think I will have more time to build on my performances and work with the other players.
“The more opportunity you get to train and play with someone, the better your relationship will be and it’s really good that I get to build those partnerships not just at Team Bath but with the Roses too.”
Allison has made the wing-defence position her own since first joining Team Bath from Yorkshire Jets for the 2017 season. A dynamic presence on court, her all-action performances have firmly established Allison as one of England’s brightest young prospects.
That status was further enhanced this summer when, after a season with the Roses’ Futures programme, she was selected for the England Netball Vitality Roses senior squad training towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“I’ve really enjoyed being part of the full-time Roses programme over the past few weeks and looking forward to what’s next in terms of international opportunities,” said Allison. “I’m very grateful to be a part of it and it’s been great to be playing netball again.
“It’s going to be a good couple of years, training and competing as a full-time athlete with both Team Bath and England. I can’t wait.”
Anna Stembridge, Team Bath Netball Superleague Head Coach, added: “The timing was right for Imo to go into the Roses programme and she showed against New Zealand that she is more than ready to make the next step up.
“She will also be training and playing alongside Serena Guthrie for both club and country this year, which will be a huge benefit for them and for us as a team.
“Imo has really matured as a player over the past five years. What I was particularly impressed with last season was her ability to keep mentally attacking the game, there was no let up from her. She was instrumental in our comeback win against Wasps when we moved her to centre – she is not a seasoned player there but she understood exactly what I was asking of her in that role and what she had to do for the team.
“Imo is part of that core group of players who have been together for a number of years now, who understand what we are about as a club, on and off the court, and how we want to play. I’m delighted she is going to be with us again in 2021.”
