Netball is thriving nationally and on campus where a record number of talented Wellington pupils are excelling within the netball pathways. The specialist training, staff expertise and pastoral support at Wellington College provides a fantastic environment for girls to pursue county and regional opportunities.
Currently six pupils are part of the Surrey Storm Performance Pathway including Player Development Programmes (PDP) and the U17, U19 and U21 squads, while four other pupils play for Berkshire County. Scarlett T in Upper Sixth was invited to play for Surrey Storm U21s after trying out for the U19s and having never previously been part of a netball pathway. This impressive step is a testament to Scarlett’s talent and the support she has received at Wellington.
Saskia L and Charlotte P, both Upper Sixth formers were invited to join Surrey Storm’s U19s team this year. Charlotte joined Wellington in the sixth form and had taken a year off from playing netball but has found a renewed passion for the game at College. Saskia was previously part of the U17 Storm squad.
Leading netball at Wellington are Scarlett Williams, Head of Netball Development and Amy Flanagan, Head of Netball and Assistant Head of Sport. In addition to her responsibilities at school, Amy plays for Surrey Storm, a world-class franchise with two Netball Superleague titles. When Amy took on her role in 2021 only one pupil was involved in a netball pathway so to have grown this number to
ten is a huge achievement. Scarlett joined Wellington in September 2023 and is helping the girls to achieve their potential through an exceptional training provision, access to physio and wellbeing support. She has retired from Superleague but has previously played for Surrey Storm, Mavericks and Team Bath as well as England U17s, U19s and U21s.
Twenty Wellington netball teams play fixtures every week with two group training sessions a week and opportunities to have specialist and 1:1 training. The sport is a big draw for new pupils with many third formers choosing Wellington for netball. This season the U14s, U16s and seniors all reached the regional round of national schools championships and for the last three years Wellington have had at least one team at the nationals. Several Old Wellingtonians have gone on to play at the highest levels including Hannah Josef who plays for Loughborough Lightning in the Netball Superleague and is a regular England player. Current Lower Sixth pupil Amelie S plays for Scotland U17s and other former pupils now represent England universities.
Unusually for a school, there is a strength and conditioning programme on site at Wellington which allows girls on netball pathways to complete this aspect of their training at school instead of travelling elsewhere. The boarding school environment also gives staff complete oversight of their calendars so Amy and Scarlett can help the girls manage their external training sessions alongside other academic, co-curricular and sporting commitments. Staff work closely with house mistresses and parents to ensure the girls have enough balance and leisure time in their schedules.
As well as Amy, many other members of the sports department play or have played sport at a high level, including Kate Pratt and Sophia Candappa who have both played netball internationally. This level of expertise and experience is a huge asset when it comes to developing a well-rounded set of skills. Staff members can share their experiences with the girls and act as role models when it comes to combining sport at a high level with pursuing a career and other commitments.
Looking ahead, the structure of the Superleague and netball pathways look likely to change and evolve in how they operate. The experience of Wellington staff will allow us to start preparing pupils to ensure they don’t miss out on any opportunities as a result. Playing for Surrey Storm gives Amy insight into the latest developments in the sport. She also has the pleasure of coming up against Old Wellingtonians that she’s taught previously from time to time in matches!
Huge congratulations to the following pupils, and we look forward to cheering you on throughout your netball careers:
Willow W – U14 County Berkshire
Lily T – U14 County Berkshire
Nina F – U15 County Berkshire
Eden B – U15 County Berkshire
Freya WD– U15 County, Storm PDP
Keira B – U16 Storm PDP
Amelie S – Scotland U17 Captain
Sasia L – Storm U19
Charlotte P – Storm U19
Scarlett T – Storm U21