Head Coach Jess Thirlby has selected a squad of 14 to represent England in the Vitality Nations Cup in January 2024.
Staged across the weekends 20-21 and 27-28 January at OVO Arena Wembley and the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England will take on Australia, New Zealand and Uganda in a four-day tournament in what is set to be an incredible showcase of international netball to start the New Year.
Netball World Cup silver medallists Helen Housby and Nat Metcalf return to the squad after extended breaks, whilst 11 players who competed in the Vitality Roses’ thrilling 2-1 Series win over South Africa earlier this month return to the squad.
Speaking on the announcement, Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “Competition in January always presents a great opportunity for us and this Nations Cup will be another step up and brilliant test for our young, talented squad against world champions Australia, world number two New Zealand and the ever-exciting Uganda She Cranes.
“With an intense format of two back-to-back match weekends, against diverse styles of play and a Final to compete for, it’s set to be the perfect platform to continue to showcase what our team are capable of. With the Nations Cup coming so soon after the exhilarating Series win against South Africa, we hope to see the crowds come out in force once again in both London and Leeds.
“This has been one of the hardest selections since coming into the role, testament to the players who continue to push themselves and each other, and a healthy sign of the progress being made to ensure we have a continual pipeline of talent prepared to do the work and set us up for more success both now and in the years to come. It’s great to welcome back two of our World Cup silver medallists and fan favourites Natalie Metcalf and Helen Housby, as well as Razia Quashie who was forced to miss the South Africa series due to personal reasons, alongside the 11 from our most recent series squad.”
Vitality Roses squad for Nations Cup:
| Name | Franchise | Position |
| Halimat Adio | London Pulse | GK, GD |
| Imogen Allison | Manchester Thunder | WD, C |
| Eleanor Cardwell | Melbourne Mavericks (Aus) | GS, GA |
| Amy Carter | Manchester Thunder | C, WD |
| Funmi Fadoju | London Pulse | GD, GK, WD |
| Sasha Glasgow | Melbourne Mavericks (Aus) | GA, GS |
| Helen Housby | GA, GS | |
| Hannah Joseph | Loughborough Lightning | WA, C |
| Nat Metcalf | Manchester Thunder | WA, GA |
| Berri Neil | London Pulse | GA, GS |
| Jayda Pechova | Team Bath | GD, GK |
| Razia Quashie | Saracens Mavericks | GK |
| Ellie Rattu | Saracens Mavericks | WD, C |
| Fran Williams | West Coast Fever (Aus) | GD, GK, WD |
Olivia Tchine and Alicia Scholes have been selected as the reserves.
In addition, a 12-strong squad have been selected to compete in a series of England A fixtures against the travelling teams.
England A Squad:
| Name | Franchise | Position |
| Ella Bowen | Manchester Thunder | GD, GK, WD |
| Sophie Drakeford-Lewis | Surrey Storm | GA, WA |
| Alice Harvey | Loughborough Lightning | GK |
| Elle Mcdonald | Cardiff Dragons | C, WA |
| Taylor Mckevitt | Manchester Thunder | C, WD |
| Vicki Oyesola | Saracens Mavericks | GD, WD |
| Jayda Pechova | Team Bath | GD, GK |
| Ellie Rattu | Saracens Mavericks | WD, C |
| Paige Reed | Manchester Thunder | GA, GS |
| Alicia Scholes | London Pulse | WA, C |
| Olivia Tchine | London Pulse | GS |
| Emma Thacker | Saracens Mavericks | GA, GS |
Tickets for the Vitality Netball Nations Cup are available to purchase at englandnetball.co.uk/tickets.
The whole Series will be available for UK fans to watch via Sky Sports. The other three competing nations will confirm their domestic broadcast arrangements and for all other countries around the world, the Series will be available on Netball Pass.
The full list of fixtures and timings are as follows:
Saturday 20 January – OVO Arena Wembley, London
Australia vs. New Zealand – 15:00
England vs. Uganda – 17:00
Sunday 21 January – OVO Arena Wembley, London
New Zealand vs. Uganda – 14:00
England vs. Australia – 16:00
Saturday 27 January – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Australia vs. Uganda – 15:00
England vs. New Zealand – 17:00
Sunday 28 January – First Direct Arena, Leeds
Third-place play-off – 14:00
Final – 16:15
FCP = First Centre Pass
