Alanna Pullen will never say no to a photo, even if she still cannot quite believe it is her that fans are asking for. Pullen has been one of the breakout players in the 2026 Netball Super League season, with her performances for Birmingham Panthers catching the eye in her debut campaign. The 21-year-old from Bromsgrove has understandably garnered plenty of supporters, including through social media, where she documents the highs and lows of elite sport.
Lifting the lid on the realities of her netball journey is a cause she is committed to, driven by the knowledge that she now has the opportunity to be the role model that she once looked up to.
"I get so many messages on my Instagram all the time from younger girls, or people asking me advice or anything like that, and I love it," said Pullen. "I'm happy to respond all the time, just engaging with fans after the game, I think it's so important to show that we're just normal people too.
"I get imposter syndrome sometimes if people are asking me for photos, I'm walking around, they're like, 'Can we have a photo?' I'm like, 'With me?' I would have done anything when I was younger to get a response or to have a photo with one of the Super League players, so I think it is just nice to be able to interact with everyone.
"It's all part of being an athlete as well. You don't automatically think you're going to be a role model, but as long as one person looks up to you, you need to be showing them a positive light."
From Setbacks to Success
Pullen is currently shining at the highest level alongside finishing her sports science degree at the University of Bath, but emphasises that her journey has been far from plain sailing. The attacker regularly missed out on England age grade selection before finally breaking in at Under-21 level, where she impressed at last year's Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar under the tutelage of current Panthers head coach Sonia Mkoloma.
"I think it's really important to show the setbacks as well," she added. "I've been very open saying, 'I didn't get into England for the first four years that I trialled.' I've been very open with that saying, 'It really hurt me. I didn't know where I was going to go from it afterwards.'
"Showing people the steps, the setbacks, that everything is not linear, showing people that it's hard, but it is the best thing in the world, that's what I use my social media for."
Key Position Change
Key to Pullen's rise has been her switch to wing attack, having arrived at university as a goal attack. A summer of hard work with Anya Le Monnier was crucial to changing that, and Pullen's path, with the 21-year-old not looking back since.
"She spent all summer working with me one-to-one and just coaching me the wing attack brain," she said. "I hated it for the first year but then she spent that whole summer working with me, just individually, doing circle edge stuff.
"I came back, got into England, had a great season at NXTGen as a wing attack, and then the rest is history, really."
Partnership with Coach Mkoloma
Pullen has continued her partnership with Mkoloma at Panthers, where they earned their first Netball Super League win of the season against LexisNexis Dragons in Round 7. Having a familiar face in training and on the sidelines has been key for Pullen, who admitted the move up from Team Bath's NXT Gen squad to the Netball Super League was daunting at first.
"It was a step up, but I knew I had a coach in Sonia who believed in me," she added. "She wouldn't put me in the position if she didn't think I was ready. When I first signed, she said: 'It's a big step and I'm putting a lot of pressure on you, but I know that you're ready'. That gave me a lot of confidence."
Pullen's time with England Under-21s also gave her an insight into how Mkoloma would run things at Panthers, meaning she was not as surprised as some others.
"She says it how it is. She's just very on it," revealed Pullen. "I think it was a bit of a shock to some of the other girls when they first met her.
"Her standards are very high. Even when we're warming up, we need to be warming up well. It's just very to the point, so she doesn't take any messing around. She's a very different person on and off the court, but I think that's good for a coach. Off the court, she's your best friend."
Dreaming of Roses
With the full backing of her coach and a brilliant start to her debut Netball Super League season, Pullen is unashamedly aiming high for what lies ahead.
"The ultimate dream is to play for the Roses at senior level. I think that's probably every little girl's dream," she said. "That's definitely something that's my top goal. I think you can't take every little thing for granted. Being in my first year of Super League, I want to get a few more years here under my belt, get some more experience and exposure playing different people, learning from different people, different coaches."
The road to the Soft & Gentle Grand Final is underway, get your tickets here.
