Professional netball franchise Severn Stars is delighted to announce that it is to establish a new training base as part of its performance pathway, to develop budding netball stars of the future, working with a local school.

 

From September, The Crypt School, in Gloucestershire, will host a Severn Stars U17 Nova Academy in partnership with the Club, which is a joint franchise between the University of Worcester and University of Gloucestershire.

 

As part of Severn Stars’ netball performance pathway, the franchise currently runs Nova Academies for Under 17s in educational centres across the West Midlands and south west region, including in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, South Staffordshire, Gloucestershire and Shropshire.  The aim is to engage with the surrounding area and develop a pool of young talent.

 

Each education centre hosts a Nova Academy provides talented Under 17 players with weekly training sessions, strength and conditioning programmes and provision, high level technical training, as well as sports therapy and off-court support.

 

Players attending the Nova Academies will be working towards competing in the Severn Stars Under 17 National Performance League team and, beyond that, the Under 19, Under 21 and professional side.  They have the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice when they compete against each other with monthly match play sessions.  The season usually culminates in the Supernova Tournament in May.  As part of the programme, the players receive Severn Stars training kit, a training journal and a ticket to a Severn Stars home game.

 

Severn Stars Executive Director and Co-founder, Anita Navin, said: “Our Nova Academy programme has been a great success over the last three years.  This is achieved by some great college and school partners.  Severn Stars has been committed to securing an Academy in the city of Gloucester and The Crypt School demonstrate a strong passion and commitment to sports performance and netball.”

 

The Head Coach for the new The Crypt School Nova Academy will be Rebecca Cantin, a teacher at the school and a former England Under 17 and Under 19 player herself.  Rebecca is highly experienced, having had coaching roles with school teams, university teams and clubs in the local area.

 

Netball is an established leading sport at The Crypt School.  In two years, students there have been crowned district netball champions at U12 level and placed second in a regional tournament. The school has new netball facilities, with four new outdoor netball courts and one indoor court.  In addition to this, selected students are guided through a thriving strength and conditioning programme in the newly designed gym, led by Athlete’s Academy.

 

To find out more about The Crypt School visit https://www.cryptschool.org/academic-life/subjects/pee.

 

For further information regarding the Nova Academies and the Severn Stars Talent Pathway visit www.severnstars.co.uk/playerpathway<http://www.severnstars.co.uk/playerpathway