Commonwealth Youth Games – Team England’s journey so far!

The first three days with Darcie and Ella

Monday 31 July

Darcie & Ella: We arrived at holding camp just after lunch on Monday, it was a great experience to be able to meet all of Team England athletes and learn about eachothers’ sports.

After a competitive game of ‘Trin-bingo’, we got the opportunity to listen to a Q&A from past Commonwealth athletes Holly Mills and Leon Taylor. They spoke about their past experiences of the games, provided helpful insights and spoke about how to get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Tuesday 1 August

Tuesday morning was an extremely early start to make our way to the airport. On the plane journey, we were able to talk to and meet new athletes from not only England but other countries as well, it was interesting to learn about other people’s journeys and backgrounds in their sport.

Heading to #Trinbago2023 ✈️

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Our @TeamEngland netball squad are on their way to the Commonwealth Youth Games!

Leave your good luck messages below 🍀 pic.twitter.com/qR1pTN42AR

— England Netball (@EnglandNetball) August 2, 2023

Wednesday was our recovery day from travelling, so we had a pool recovery and a mobility session just after breakfast and luckily had the rest of the day to chill out and do more exploring.

After travelling to Trinbago and finding some time to relax, Team England entered full preparation mode. We caught up with them in the later stages of this as they start to get competition ready.

The opening ceremony to the Commonwealth Youth Games was full of vibrant celebrations, as the FAST5 netball squad walked out with their Team England compatriots. Held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the ceremony signalled the beginning of a week of international sport, with the netball competition set to take place between 8-10 Augus

The squad received their dresses in a special presentation marking their England legacy as they become the first young netballers to wear the red dress at a Commonwealth Youth Games.

A special weekend for netball and our Fast5 team at #Trinbago2023❣️

The squad were presented with their dresses yesterday! pic.twitter.com/QYmFxU8vif

— Team England (@TeamEngland) August 6, 2023

And also found some time away from the court to celebrate and support other Team England competitors, including the beach volleyball team.

Team England completed their last court training session and some pool recovery as part of their final preparation before the competition gets underway.

 

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The netball competition at #Trinbago2023 gets underway today!

Hear from Ellie Sadler about how she’s been inspired by the Vitality Roses performances to pursue her dreams of playing for England: