England Netball | Coaching line-ups revealed for autumn international fixtures

A busy month is ahead for the Vitality Roses and Future Roses, with the Vitality Netball Horizon Series, FAST5 Netball World Series and England A fixtures all taking place this November.

The coaching line-ups for each series have been revealed, seeing a wealth of expertise and experience ready to guide each squad through their upcoming fixtures.

For the Vitality Netball Horizon Series, which will be staged on 16 and 17 November at the AO Arena in Manchester with a reverse leg on 25 and 26 November in Kingston, Jamaica, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby will be joined by Anna Stembridge as her Assistant Coach.

Stembridge joins the team with extensive coaching experience both for the Vitality Roses and in the Netball Super League (NSL). Most recently, she was the Assistant Coach during the 2024 Taini Jamison Trophy, which saw the Vitality Roses win the series for only the second time ever, and for the first time winning in New Zealand in the first two games of a three-match test series.

Speaking about Anna’s appointment earlier this year, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “Anna brings with her both great knowledge and experience of the global game and we’ve also worked very closely in previous roles and have a mutual respect for each other, allowing us to hit the ground running straight away.”

Tickets are still available to watch the Vitality Roses face the Jamaica Sunshine Girls on Saturday 16 November and Sunday 17 November here.

The coaching team for the FAST5 Netball World Series, which will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 9-10 November, will be led by Roses Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma with Future Roses Assistant Coach Lauren Palmer as Assistant Coach.

Mkoloma spoke of her excitement for the upcoming series, which fans in the UK can purchase a pass to watch on NetballPass here, saying: “The squad is made up of a nice mixture of experienced players from the Vitality Roses environment and players from within the Future Roses squad, who for some it will be their first time on the senior international stage. I know it will be a great experience for the players as they will be challenged and will learn more about themselves under the pressures of the modified game. I’m looking forward to seeing them all step up and perform in the red dress.”  

Finally, the coaching team for two behind-closed-doors England A fixtures on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 November in Manchester will be led by Roses Academy Assistant Coach Tamsin Greenway, who is stepping into the role of Head Coach, with Karen Greig and Lauren Palmer as Assistant Coaches for these fixtures.

Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby reflected on the importance of these fixtures, saying: “We believe that there is so much for each individual to gain from these fixtures, including positional development, exposure against two very different styles of play and more time on task for our less experienced players or those returning from injury. England A fixtures have proven so important in us uncovering new talent over the years and so we are really looking forward to these matches.”

The full list of fixtures and timings are as follows:  

Vitality Netball Horizon Series 

Saturday 16 November, 16:00 – AO Arena, Manchester 

Sunday 17 November, 14:00 – AO Arena, Manchester 

Monday 25 November, 23:30 GMT, National Indoor Sports Centre, Kingston, Jamaica

Wednesday 27 November, 00:00 GMT, National Indoor Sports Centre, Kingston, Jamaica

FAST5 Netball World Series 

Friday 8 November, 23:30 (GMT) Saturday 9 November, 12:30 (NZDT) England vs. South Africa

Saturday 9 November, 2:30 (GMT) 15:30 (NZDT) England vs. Jamaica

Saturday 9 November, 5:45 (GMT) 18:45 (NZDT) England vs. Uganda

Saturday 9 November, 23:45 (GMT) Sunday 10 November, 12:45 (NZDT) New Zealand vs. England

Sunday 10 November, 2:00 (GMT) 15:00 (NZDT) Australia vs. England