England national netball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
England

Nickname(s)	Vitality Roses The Roses
Association	England Netball
Confederation	Netball Europe
Head coach	Jess Thirlby
Asst coach	Liana Leota
Captain	Fran Williams
Most caps	Jade Clarke (208)
World ranking	2
Team colours Alternate
First international
England  25–3  Scotland GEC Ground, Wembley, 7 May 1949
Netball World Cup
Best result	2nd (1975, 2023)
Commonwealth Games
Appearances	7 (Debuted in 1998)
2022 placing	4th
Best result	1st (2018)

The England national netball team, also known as the Vitality Roses, represents England Netball in big international netball competitions. These include the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, and other exciting tournaments.

The team played their very first official match in 1949. Their biggest achievement so far is winning a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. As of October 17, 2024, England is ranked second in the world for netball.

History of the Roses

First Matches Played

England's first official netball match was on May 7, 1949. They played against Scotland and Wales in a series of games. Both matches took place at the General Electric Company ground in Wembley. England won both games with a score of 25–3. The game against Scotland is thought to be England's very first international match.

In 1954, England played Northern Ireland for the first time. Two years later, on May 12, 1956, England hosted the Australian team. This was the first time England played a team from outside the UK. Australia won that game 14–11 in front of over 5,000 fans at Harringay Arena. Later in 1956, England traveled to play South Africa and won all three matches there.

Major Tournament Achievements

Netball World Cup Journeys

England has played in every World Netball Championships and Netball World Cup since the very first one in 1963. Their best results were finishing second in both the 1975 and 2023 tournaments.

Tournaments	Place
1963 World Netball Championships
1967 World Netball Championships	4th
1971 World Netball Championships
1975 World Netball Championships
1979 World Netball Championships	4th
1983 World Netball Championships	4th
1987 World Netball Championships	4th
1991 World Netball Championships	4th
1995 World Netball Championships	4th
1999 World Netball Championships
2003 World Netball Championships	4th
2007 World Netball Championships	4th
2011 World Netball Championships
2015 Netball World Cup
2019 Netball World Cup
2023 Netball World Cup

Commonwealth Games Success

England has competed in every netball tournament at the Commonwealth Games. For many years, Australia and New Zealand always won the gold and silver medals.

However, in 2018, England surprised everyone! With Tracey Neville as coach and Ama Agbeze as captain, they beat Australia in the final. Helen Housby scored the winning goal in the very last second, making the score 52–51. This made England only the third team ever to win a gold medal in netball at the Commonwealth Games. Their amazing win was voted "Sporting Moment of the Year" at the 2018 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. The team was also named Team of the Year.

Tournaments	Place
1998 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games	4th
2006 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
2014 Commonwealth Games	4th
2018 Commonwealth Games
2022 Commonwealth Games	4th

Taini Jamison Trophy Wins

Since 2008, Netball New Zealand has hosted the Taini Jamison Trophy series, where New Zealand plays against visiting teams. England has been a regular participant. In 2021, England won the series for the first time, which was also their first series win in New Zealand. That team was coached by Jess Thirlby and captained by Serena Guthrie.

In 2024, England won the series again. Jess Thirlby was still the coach, and Fran Williams was the captain.

Netball Quad Series and Nations Cup

Since 2012, England has competed in the Netball Quad Series. In this series, they play against Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In 2025, England finally won the series for the first time! Coached by Jess Thirlby and captained by Fran Williams, they beat South Africa 61–55 in the final. This was a big win, as England had finished as runners-up five times before in this competition.

Fast5 Netball World Series Victories

Since 2009, England has also played in the Fast5 Netball World Series. This is a faster, more exciting version of netball.

In 2011, with Anna Mayes as coach and Jade Clarke as captain, England won their first major tournament by beating New Zealand 33–26 in the final. They won the series again in 2017. That time, Tracey Neville was the coach and Ama Agbeze was the captain, and they defeated Jamaica 34–29 in the final.

Tournaments	Place
2009 World Netball Series	4th
2010 World Netball Series
2011 World Netball Series
2012 Fast5 Netball World Series
2013 Fast5 Netball World Series	6th
2014 Fast5 Netball World Series
2016 Fast5 Netball World Series	4th
2017 Fast5 Netball World Series
2018 Fast5 Netball World Series	5th
2022 Fast5 Netball World Series	4th
2023 Fast5 Netball World Series
2024 Fast5 Netball World Series	5th

European Netball Championship Dominance

England has often played in the European Netball Championship against teams like Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is the most successful team in this competition, having won it many times.

Tournaments	Place
2005 European Netball Championship
2006 European Netball Championship
2007 European Netball Championship
2008 European Netball Championship
2009 European Netball Championship
2010 European Netball Championship
2011 European Netball Championship
2012 European Netball Championship
2013 European Netball Championship
2015 Netball Europe Open Championships	1st
2016 European Netball Championship
2017 European Netball Championship
2019 European Netball Championship

Team Players and Coaches

Current Squad

The current squad was selected for the 2024 Netball Nations Cup.

England Roses roster
Players	Coaches
Name Pos DOB Height Club Nat Caps Halimat Adio GK, GD (1998-01-27) 27 January 1998 (age 27) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) London Pulse Imogen Allison WD, C (1998-04-24) 24 April 1998 (age 27) 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Manchester Thunder Eleanor Cardwell GS, GA (1994-11-11) 11 November 1994 (age 30) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Melbourne Mavericks Amy Carter C, WD (1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 (age 26) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) Manchester Thunder Funmi Fadoju GD, GK, WD (2002-08-15) 15 August 2002 (age 23) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) London Pulse Sasha Glasgow GA, GS (1998-07-19) 19 July 1998 (age 27) 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Melbourne Mavericks Helen Housby GA, GS (1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 (age 30) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) New South Wales Swifts Hannah Joseph WA, C (1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 31) 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) Loughborough Lightning Natalie Metcalf WA, GA (1992-12-09) 9 December 1992 (age 32) 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) Manchester Thunder Berri Neil GA, GS (2003-02-12)12 February 2003 (aged 20) 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) London Pulse Jayda Pechova GD, GK (2004-08-21) 21 August 2004 (age 21) 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Team Bath Razia Quashie GK, GD (1997-09-16) 16 September 1997 (age 27) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Saracens Mavericks Ellie Rattu C, WD (2000-04-04) 4 April 2000 (age 25) 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) Saracens Mavericks Alicia Scholes WA, C (2001-05-08) 8 May 2001 (age 24) 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) London Pulse Olivia Tchine GS (2000-11-22) 22 November 2000 (age 24) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) London Pulse Fran Williams (c) GD, GK, WD (1997-12-23) 23 December 1997 (age 27) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) West Coast Fever	Head coach Jess Thirlby Assistant coach Liana Leota Notes (c) – Captain (cc) – Co-captain (vc) – Vice-captain – Injury / maternity leave (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website	Last updated: 24 March 2024

Sources:

Famous Past Players

Many great players have been part of the England netball team. Some have even been added to England Netball's Hall of Fame.

England Netball's Hall of Fame Members

These players are recognized for their amazing contributions to England netball.

Captains Who Won Tournaments

These players led their teams to victory in major competitions.

2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalists

These are the players who were part of the squad that won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. They were also named Team of the Year at the 2018 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Head Coaches of the Team

Many coaches have guided the England netball team over the years.

Team Honours and Awards

• World Netball Championships/Netball World Cup
  • Runners up: 1975, 2023
• Commonwealth Games
  • Winners: 2018
• Taini Jamison Trophy
  • Winners: 2021, 2024
  • Runners Up: 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023
• Netball Quad Series/Nations Cup
  • Winners: 2025
  • Runners Up: 2018 (January), 2018 (September), 2019, 2022, 2024
• Fast5 Netball World Series
  • Winners: 2011, 2017
  • Runners up: 2010, 2012
• European Netball Championship
  • Winners: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
  • Runner up: 2013
• BBC Sports Team of the Year Award
  • Winners: 2018