Sedbergh host England Netball training camp

Sedbergh School are honoured and thrilled to have hosted England Netball team on their first training camp of the new 2019/20 season.

After winning the bronze medal at this year’s Netball World Cup in Liverpool, beating South Africa 58-42, then Head Coach, Tracey Neville, announced her retirement from the role. Her replacement was announced shortly after, former Bath and England player, Jess Thirlby.

To the delight of pupils, staff and the local community, England Netball arrived at the beginning of September to undertake their first training camp of a new season, following their relatively short time off after an exhausting World Cup campaign. The Vitality Roses joined us for ten days, just as pupils joined us for the start of term.

Spending a lot of time on site either in the school gym or working on their Netball fundamentals in our modern sports centre, the team also took part in a lot of team bonding activities and made the most of their rural surroundings; From team building exercises with the British Army, to a leg-burning mountain bike ride up the hills of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and paddle boarding and open water swimming in Lake Windermere.

Pupils at both Sedbergh School and Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School were lucky enough to have training sessions with the England Netball team. These incredible opportunities are something Head of Girls’ Sport, Mrs Lucia Sdao, described as “so inspiring knowing that the girls have taken so much from them.”

Mrs Sdao, a former England Netball player and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, was delighted to have welcomed Vitality Roses to Sedbergh saying “I’m still pinching myself that the England Roses came to Sedbergh for their pre-season – how amazing to have the national team in your sport on your patch!  It was a fantastic experience for our girls to be coached by the Roses and also just to be around them, walking past them on their way to lessons, to see them in the local shops and cafes and to see them in our gyms and Hirst Centre”.

On behalf of everyone at Sedbergh School, we wish to thank the England Netball team and all members of staff for their time with us. Wishing you all the best of luck going forward and we hope to host you again in the future.

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