Newly-minted Team Bath captain Imogen Allison is already tired of people suggesting she’s too young for the job.

Allison, whose appointment was announced on Monday, will try to steer the Haines-Watts sponsored side to their sixth Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) title when the new season begins on Saturday. 

And the England international insisted her 23 years on earth, including more than half a decade in netball’s top-flight, were more than enough to make her a capable leader.

First and foremost, she asserted, “I’m not that young. But people have been saying that 23 is quite young for a captain.

“I think I’ve got a few years of Superleague under my belt, and Anna [Stembridge] obviously trusts me in that experience.”

Still, Allison admits, she was taken by surprise when Stembridge rang her up to deliver the news on FaceTime—something the head coach hoped to do in person, but the future skipper was in the midst of trying to clinch the Vitality Roses’ first Quad Series title.

“I was initially in shock,” said Allison, whose appointment to the Haines-Watts sponsored Vitality Netball Superleague side was announced Monday. 

At first, the defender recalled, all she could muster was: “’Oh, wow!’

“I wasn’t expecting it. I was in the leadership team last season but then I thought I’d just keep that going. So I’m really excited, but it took me by surprise.”

Team Bath will join the ten other Superleague sides in Birmingham for the action-packed opening double-header weekend, which will see all round one and two fixtures played at Resorts World Arena and broadcast on Sky Sports.

The Blue & Gold are looking to bounce back from a gutting 49-32 loss to Loughborough Lightning in last season’s Grand Final—a feat which would double their league-leading tally over Manchester Thunder’s three. 

They’ll first face Strathclyde Sirens before squaring off on Sunday with Leeds Rhinos, who stormed to the semi-finals in their debut season last year.

Most of the 2021 Team Bath squad remains intact, but the club has inked enforcements from near and far. 

First, Stembridge enticed South African international Phumza Maweni back to the UK to bolster the Blue and Gold’s defence. The Loughborough Lightning and Severn Stars veteran, who describes herself as “vertical and vocal”, joins Team Bath from three years in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball. 

Dorset native Lily-May Catling, 26, has wanted to wear first team Blue and Gold ever since she clapped eyes on Team Bath Sports Training Village as an U13 for Bournemouth Junior Netball Club. 

But a backpacking trip to Australia turned into a permanent move for the former Team Bath academy athlete, who played for the club’s U19 side before settling Down Under before her 20thbirthday, and sees the signing has a “homecoming.”

Molly Hole and Lily Jones’ journeys to the senior squad are far less circuitous. Hole, who also serves as England U21 captain, and attacker Jones both earned call-ups directly from the Academy. 

Allison will also get to lead her side out for their first home game since 2019, after Covid considerations led to the 2021 VNSL season being staged at just two venues in London and Wakefield.

And though the newly-minted skipper is only a few days into her role, she isn’t afraid to outline exactly what she expects fans to see from her squad when they host Surrey Storm on February 18.

“Big things,” she declared with zero hesitation.

“I think we’re a really exciting group. Coming second last year was a bit disheartening for us, so we’re just looking forward to getting back on the court and showing people what we can do.”

The 2022 Vitality Netball Superleague season gets underway on Saturday and Sunday, tickets for the Season Opener weekend at Resorts World Birmingham are available here.