Eight alumni called up to Vitality Roses England netball squad

Eight Loughborough College alumni have been selected for the England netball squad vying to retain Commonwealth gold.

The former College students will make up a third of the 24-strong Vitality Roses team competing internationally for the 2021/22 season.

The octet are all graduates of the College’s Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE), formerly the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE).

Vicki Oyesola, Imogen Allison, Gabriella Marshall, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Francesca Williams, Rhea Dixon, Helen Housby and George Fisher will all don the Roses’ red jersey on the international stage in the run up to Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Matt O’Dowd, Head of Elite Sport, said: “We’re proud to see former learners represent their country after completing their studies with us.

“There’s always a sense of excitement across the College when we see our students take their talent further and onto the elite stage.”

Six DISE programme graduates have also taken six of the seven spots on the Roses Futures Programme.

Alumni of the College in the Roses Futures Programme are:  Amy Carter, Kira Rothwell, Olivia Tchine, Sienna Rushton, Brie Grierson and Funmi Fadoju.

"ENGLAND NETBALL TEAM" by NAPARAZZI is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0