England star Imogen Allison says she is proud and “super excited” to be named as Team Bath Netball captain for the 2022 Vitality Superleague season.
The inspirational wing-defence will be joined in a new-look Blue & Gold leadership group by Australian shooter Kim Borger, who wore the armband in 2020 and 2021, and fellow Roses internationals Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Layla Guscoth.
She may only be 23 years old but Allison, regarded as one of netball’s most exciting young players, already has five full seasons as a regular starter for Haines Watts-sponsored Team Bath and two years with the senior England squad under her belt.
A University of Bath Sport and Exercise Science graduate, she has lifted silverware for Team Bath too having captained them to victory at the 2021 British Fast5 All-Star Championships.
“I’m super excited to be named as Team Bath captain and really looking forward to working with the girls and the coaches to put out the performances we really want to showcase,” said Allison, who was voted Player of the Year by the Team Bath fans and coaches following her dynamic displays during the 2021 Superleague season.
“I was a little bit in shock when Anna [Stembridge] asked me but really happy. Anna put forward her case and I was really excited that the coaches see me in that light.
“My style is to lead by example, lean on other people and they can lean on me. There are a lot of leaders in the squad and we all come together to do our bit.”
Team Bath Netball Superleague Head Coach Stembridge said the time was right for Allison and fellow young Roses international Drakeford-Lewis to bring their leadership qualities to the fore.
“We are delighted with the make-up of the leadership group, it is a great mix in terms of skill set, personality and character,” she said. “This season is about having a more leaderful team, more athletes leading with greater purpose. All four of these selected athletes have demonstrated excellent leadership skills thus far and I genuinely believe now is their time to lead this team.
“Imo really came of age last season and fully deserves this opportunity. She may be a young player but she already has bags of experience and her performances have been truly inspirational. She really impressed with the way she led the squad during Fast5 and I think she will thrive in the role.”
England captain Serena Guthrie was part of Team Bath’s leadership group last season but will be allowed to focus on her own contribution during a busy build-up to Birmingham 2022.
“Serena will have a lot of demands on her as England captain over the next few months, particularly working towards a home Commonwealth Games,” said Stembridge. “While she is with us we want to afford her the time and space to just focus on her on-court performance, something I believe will be hugely beneficially to both her and the team.”
Team Bath begin their 2022 Vitality Superleague campaign with a Season Opener double header against Sirens and London Pulse, taking place at Resorts World Birmingham on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 February respectively.
They also have eight home matches at the Team Bath Arena to look forward to in the coming months, the first against Surrey Storm on Friday 18 February (7.30pm centre-pass).
Tickets for all matches are on sale now, along with season tickets for the home fixtures – visit netball.teambath.com/tickets for more information.