It was a delight to welcome back alumna Ally Housley (Class of 2016) online all the way from sunny Australia to speak to our elite athletes as part of the PE Department’s High Performance Programme this week. Ally graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2021 with a First Class Joint Honours BA in the field of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.

Her experience as a Netball player for U21 England team, Wasps and Telstars was invaluable to share with current pupils considering treading a similar path. Ally was also a Netball Sports Scholar at Nottingham University as well as participating inTASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) on a part-time basis.

In an interactive talk, Ally inspired our Sydenham High Performers by sharing her own story. She emphasised to pupils the importance of looking after themselves in terms of nutrition, recovery, sleep and time off in order to avoid burnout and to get the most out of their sport. She also discussed how to deal with setbacks and shared some of her own experiences – her trip to Fiji for the World Youth Cup was cancelled due to Covid and she has suffered injury. Ally ended on a reminder of all the positives that sport gives you!

It’s really important to acknowledge a setback and know that it’s ok to be disheartened and think about what you are going to do to re-motivate yourself.
Ally Housley (Class of 2016)

Thank you to all our alumnae who take the time to come back to school to inspire the next generation. If you’d like to offer support please contact us here