Wales Netball
February 28, 2025
For our next Regional Academy Spotlight, we are heading up North to our squads based in North West Wales – Bangor University Regional Academy.
About Bangor University Regional Academy
Bangor University Regional Academy has U13, U15 and U17 squads. The U15 and U17 squads are led by Head Coach, Simone Gould with Assistant Coach, Cara Roberts and are based at Coleg Menai, Llangefni Campus. The U13 squad is led by Head Coach, Heidi Bakewell and are based at Canolfan Brailsford, Bangor University.
Simone Gould (Head Coach of U15/17 squads):
The Bangor University Regional Academy is a fantastic place for players to build on their netball foundations that clubs and schools have developed thus far, it is an opportunity for players to strengthen their skills and knowledge in a high-performance environment. It allows them to practice and refine their netball basics improving their overall on court performance and for some a stepping stone to the next level accessing National Squads.
We’re very fortunate as coaches to be able to work with locally grown talent and support them in achieving their netball aspirations, whether that be a personal goal for their local club team, a national goal striving to represent Wales or wanting to become a netball coach in the future. At present we’ve been working on defensive skills and knowledge to challenge all the learnings prior to Christmas focused on attacking play, which certainly makes training interesting during conditioned practices and match play.
Cara Roberts (Assistant Coach of U15/17 squads):
We are very proud to have built a culture that prioritises the players’ development, learning and celebrates their Welsh identity. It’s a pleasure to share out passion for the sport with dedicated, highly ambitious young athletes who continually practice great sportsmanship. Providing the North West community with access to performance coaching and the opportunity for young athletes to represent their country is an invaluable experience.
Ela Parry, U17 player:
Being in the Bangor University Regional Academy has been a game changer, my netball has improved as well as my communication skills and confidence. The coaching has been outstanding and has really changed netball in the North West region, every player has been able to improve in their own way. Over the years the level of performance has continued to increase and developed in each player. By giving us additional opportunities to play different high-level teams we’ve been able to further improve, as well as building on teamwork and communication skills that we learn in training.
Heidi Bakewell (Head Coach of U13 squad):
The Bangor University U13 Regional Academy squad are a great bunch of enthusiastic netballers. The group have been working hard on their basic skills, as well as timing and the importance of creating space. They have been learning about sports nutrition and what can help their game as well as working on their fitness outside of their sessions. They have been lucky to play against the U14s and U16 County squads which they thoroughly enjoyed. There is also an up and coming friendly between them and Coleg Cambria Regional Academy which they are really looking forward to.
Some of our Bangor University Regional Academy athletes were successful at the recent Gwynedd Awards
Follow the links below to view our Bangor University Regional Academy squads for the 2024/25 season!
Training Information
U15/17 – Coleg Menai, Llangefni Campus, Penmynydd Road, Llangefni, LL77 7HY
U13 – Bangor University, Canolfan Brailsford, Ffriddoedd Road, Bangor, LL57 2EH
About Coleg Menai
Coleg Menai is a further education college located in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. The college has campuses in Parc Menai, Llangefni, Caernarfon and Holyhead.
The college provides a range of academic and vocational courses including A levels, Apprenticeships, English for Speakers of Other Languages programmes and Access courses. It also offers some higher education courses.
Coleg Menai has a number of open events which are listed on their website and you can also follow their social media pages:
About Bangor University
Established in 1884, Bangor University has a long tradition of academic excellence and a strong focus on the student experience. Around 10,000 students currently study at the University, with teaching staff based within fourteen Academic Schools.
Bangor University Open Days:
Visit the Bangor University website or follow them on their social media accounts to learn more about the institution:
