Wales Netball is pleased to announce that Nikki Lloyd has been appointed as the new head coach of Wales Under 21s.
Lloyd has a range of experience of coaching and developing young netballers in both Wales and England. Recently, Lloyd has worked with Wales Under 21 as an assistant coach and is the current Team Bath Under 21 NPL head coach and Team Bath NC National Premier League 2 head coach. She has also worked as an England Netball Performance Pathway coach as well as coaching a range other other age-grade teams for the Team Bath pathway.
Speaking about her appointment, Lloyd expressed her excitement ahead of the Netball World Youth Cup qualification campaign:
“I have really enjoyed my time and experiences with Wales Netball to date, and was delighted and grateful for my opportunity to be part of an exciting new era at Wales Netball, as U21 Head Coach for 2019.
“I am really looking forward to building a new U21s coaching team in the new year and collaborating with Julie [Hoornweg] and the senior programme to ensure that this exciting group of U21 athletes are exposed to and experience the same values, expectations and principles as those they aspire to follow and challenge in the senior programme.
“Alongside working towards next year’s Netball Europe competition, it is critical that the U21s programme also continues to identify, develop and prepare the our young athletes to challenge for a place in the seniors programme, as well as our next World Youth Cup qualification campaign in 2020, and the tournament itself in 2021 and I will be focused on ensuring that over the next 12 months we take significant steps forward towards these goals.”
