Helen Housby

Biography

There are great sporting moments and then there are iconic sporting moments – memories from which will last a lifetime.

Helen Housby’s last-gasp winning goal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games to make history and take the gold against Australia in their own backyard definitely falls into the latter category.

Cue a pile-on, a message from David Beckham and more than 130,700 people inspired to play netball or play more netball as a result of that moment.

And it wasn’t the first time Housby had performed such heroics! In the 2014 Netball Super League Grand Final, she sank a long-range effort in the dying seconds to seal the title for Manchester Thunder.

The commitment, desire, fearlessness, and confidence to deliver in the big moments are qualities that have been evident in Housby from the very start of her journey.

Spotted at 15 years old during a North West talent festival, she was brought into the Manchester Thunder pathway by Karen Greig and Tracey Neville. Despite the five-hour round trip five times a week, she never missed a session.

Her hard work paid off when she made her Vitality Roses bow aged 19 at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. During the competition, she roomed with Jo Harten who she’d looked to for inspiration on her journey and had even previously got a selfie with as a fan!

“When I was growing up, so many of my heroes and idols were men, because they were the only ones I’d see in the news. So for those of us [female athletes] who are visible, it’s super important for us to be those female icons, and to speak up.” – source: Netball Scoop

At the Netball World Cup 2023, she was named Best Shooter and Player of the Tournament after helping the Vitality Roses to a historic silver medal.

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