A refreshed coaching team has been announced featuring a number of experienced coaches supporting the team ahead of two test series to be played away against Australia and New Zealand this autumn.
Ahead of a busy 2024-25 international season for the Vitality Roses, Anna Stembridge (née Mayes) will join the Vitality Roses coaching team to support in training camps ahead of the Taini Jamison Series, as well as providing support in an Assistant Coach role in New Zealand during the series itself.
Stembridge joins the team with extensive coaching experience both for the Vitality Roses and in the Netball Super League (NSL). She earned 45 caps as a player for Wales and was the Vitality Roses Assistant Coach from 2008 to 2011, before stepping into the Head Coach role between 2011 and 2015. In her stint as Assistant Coach, Stembridge was part of the coaching team who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and a bronze medal at the Netball World Championships in Singapore in 2011. As England Head Coach she went on to lead the team to a historic first ever series win against Australia in 2011 followed by a gold medal at the World Netball Series in Liverpool, England’s first ever gold medal on a world stage. In the NSL she is best known for her time at Team Bath, where she was Assistant Coach alongside Jess Thirlby between 2008 and 2010, winning two Super League titles, and Head Coach from 2015 to 2022.
Speaking about her appointment, Stembridge said: “It is an absolute honour and privilege to be appointed the Vitality Roses Assistant Coach, and it is a role that I don’t take lightly.
“I am very excited about working with this extremely hard working and talented group of players and staff and I am also delighted to be partnering up with Jess again. She is one of the most innovative and creative coaches I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with and our partnership is based on ultimate trust between us, accompanied with an ethos of challenge and support for one another. I can’t wait to work with her again.
“I’m really looking forward to building on the great work that has been done over the last few years and seeing where this amazing group of women can go against the top two ranked nations in the world.”
In addition to this exciting appointment, Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Leeds Rhinos NSL Head Coach Liana Leota continues as Vitality Roses Technical Coach, a role which she will hold through to the 2027 Netball World Cup alongside her duties in the NSL.
Joining the team on this tour are two legendary names, known primarily for their outstanding playing careers, who have both stepped into coaching after their international playing retirements. Jo Harten will support the Vitality Roses as a Specialist Coach during both the Australia Test Series and the Taini Jamison Series in New Zealand, and Australian netball legend Sharni Norder (née Layton) will support the Vitality Roses as a Specialist Coach during the Australian leg of the tour.
Widely regarded as one of England’s best ever players, Harten, who amassed an outstanding 117 caps for England over her playing career, returns to a coaching role for this tour after previously joining the Vitality Roses squad in a Support Coach role at the 2023 Netball World Cup where they won a historic silver medal.
Speaking about joining the Vitality Roses coaching team for the tour to Australia and New Zealand, Harten said: “I’m looking forward to the journey that lies ahead in this coaching role. The growth of this team and their road to more success will be an exciting ride. I will do my best to add value where I can, whilst looking for growth across this international window in both the team’s performance and my own coaching abilities. I can’t wait to get stuck in and represent the red dress once more.”
Norder is a celebrated player and coach, having earned 46 caps for the Australian Diamonds over a decorated playing career that saw her win Commonwealth Games gold in 2014 and win the Netball World Cup in 2015. Following her retirement from playing, Norder has stepped into a coaching role which has seen her take on the role of Defensive Specialist Coach for the Melbourne Vixens, who reached the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) Grand Final in the 2024 season.
Speaking about her appointment, Norder said: “It’s an exciting opportunity to join Jess and the Vitality Roses as a specialist defensive coach for the upcoming tour against the Australian Diamonds.
“It was an honour to represent my country, I’ve always had the utmost respect for the Vitality Roses and it is a privilege to be invited into their inner sanctum as a specialist coach. The English defenders are a dynamic unit with exciting talent and I hope to help them reach their full potential.
“This is an exciting step on my coaching journey and whilst I’m there to impart my knowledge, I am also looking forward to growing and learning from Jess and the Vitality Roses environment.”
Commenting on the new appointments, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “I am so excited to welcome some different coaches into the team as we embark on a long and comprehensive tour featuring back-to-back series in Australia and New Zealand.
“Jo Harten has had an outstanding playing career and has already worked with us in a coaching capacity from a specialist point of view leading in and out of the Netball World Cup, so it’s lovely to reconnect with Jo in Australia. She’ll work closely with myself focussing on our shooters and attacking play. In addition we also welcome Sharni Norder, a former Australian Diamond defender, World Cup and Commonwealth Games winner and current Vixens Defensive Specialist Coach.
“I really welcome inviting people into the environment who think differently and have diverse experiences to me, and I know that the players are open to and respond really well to new input whilst trusting it is aligned to the Roses way and style of play.
“Anna Stembridge will join us in New Zealand and work with myself and Jo as we look to take on the world number two in the Silver Ferns. 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.
“We’re also very fortunate to have the continued service, loyalty and expertise of Liana Leota who is working with us remotely whilst we are on tour and remains in her technical coaching role bringing great continuity and insight into both the programme and the players.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to get to work with such a dynamic, open-minded and passionate team of coaches who will not only bring out the best in the team but also me. I believe this coaching team will only strengthen our chances of success both now and in the future.”
Completing the Vitality Roses and Roses Pathway coaching team ahead of the 2024-25 international season are two new appointments in the Roses Pathway, as Lauren Palmer takes on the role of Future Roses Assistant Coach and Tamsin Greenway is announced as Roses Academy Assistant Coach.
Palmer, who was previously the Roses Academy Assistant Coach, is also the current Pathway Head Coach at NSL club Manchester Thunder, bringing a wealth of experience working with young developing athletes into her new role in the Roses Pathway. Greenway is another incredibly experienced coach, who, after earning 67 caps for the Vitality Roses as a player, has held coaching roles at NSL clubs Surrey Storm, Wasps Netball and London Mavericks across both the senior and Pathway squads. She was Head Coach of the Scottish Thistles between 2020 and 2023, leading them to a ninth place finish at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and a tenth place finish at the Netball World Cup in 2023, and is the new Director of Netball at London Mavericks NSL Club.
Speaking about these appointments, Roses Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma said: “I am fortunate to have two highly regarded coaches stepping up to sit alongside me within the Roses Pathway. I am excited to continue to grow and share our ideas on how we will best support our athletes and prepare them for hopefully one day stepping into the Vitality Roses programme.”
Performance Director David Parsons added: “I am thrilled that we are able to announce these coaching appointments to join Jess and Sonia’s teams and have been able to attract such high calibre individuals to the roles supporting our best athletes. We know how important high quality coaching is to the development of teams and individuals as we look to the Netball World Cup in 2027 and beyond, and we now have a great mix of international coaching experience, international playing experiences, experience from playing and coaching within the domestic game in England, Australia and New Zealand, as well as supporting the development of English talent.”
The Vitality Roses have now arrived in Australia where they have joined up with Eleanor Cardwell and Fran Williams for a period of full team preparation ahead of playing a three match test series on Thursday 19 September at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on Sunday 22 September at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena and on Wednesday 25 September at Bendigo Stadium. They will then travel to New Zealand to face the Silver Ferns in the Taini Jamison Series on Sunday 29 September at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, on Wednesday 2 October at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua and on Sunday 6 October at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill.
All matches will be available to watch on Sky Sports.
The full list of fixtures and timings are as follows:
Thursday 19 September, 10:00am BST (7:00pm AEST) – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Sunday 22 September, 7:00am BST (4:00pm AEST) – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Wednesday 25 September, 10:00am BST (7:00pm AEST) – Bendigo Stadium, Bendigo
Sunday 29 September, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – The Trusts Arena, Auckland
Wednesday 2 October, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Sunday 6 October, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill
