Layla Guscoth facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Layla Guscoth | ||||||||||||
| Born | 2 March 1992 Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
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| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||
| University | St John's College, Oxford University College London |
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| Occupation | Doctor | ||||||||||||
| Netball career | |||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GD, GK, WD | |||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Loughborough Lightning | ||||||||||||
| 2010–2016 | Hertfordshire Mavericks | ||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | → Oxford University | ||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | → UCL | ||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Team Bath | ||||||||||||
| 2019– | Adelaide Thunderbirds | ||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |||||||||||
| 2012– | England | 26 | |||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Last updated: 17 April 2020 | |||||||||||||
Layla Guscoth (born on March 2, 1992) is a fantastic netball player from England. She is a key member of the England squad. Layla helped her team win a bronze medal at the 2019 Netball World Cup.
She has played for several top netball clubs. These include Loughborough Lightning, Hertfordshire Mavericks, and Team Bath. She played in the Netball Superleague in England. Later, she joined Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball. Layla was part of the Mavericks team that won the 2011 Netball Superleague championship. She has also been a captain for both Mavericks and Thunderbirds. Besides her amazing netball career, Layla also qualified as a doctor in 2016!
Contents
Layla's Early Life and School
Layla Guscoth was born in Birmingham, England. She started playing netball when she was 11 years old. Layla became interested in medicine during a work experience placement at a hospital. This happened when she was in sixth form (around 16-18 years old).
From 2010 to 2013, she studied medicine at St John's College, Oxford. In 2012, she was recognized as one of the top black students in UK universities. She finished her medical studies at University College London in 2016. She earned a special degree called a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) with Distinction. Layla also played netball for both Oxford University and UCL while she was studying.
Layla's Netball Journey
Layla has had an exciting career playing netball for different teams.
Playing in the Netball Superleague
The Netball Superleague is a top netball competition in England.
Loughborough Lightning Team
Layla played for Loughborough Lightning during the 2009–10 season. This was early in her professional career.
Hertfordshire Mavericks Team
From 2011 to 2016, Layla played for Hertfordshire Mavericks. She was a big part of the team that won the 2011 Netball Superleague title. In the grand final match, she was even named the best player!
In 2014, fans voted her the Netball Superleague Player of the Season. She won with 59% of the votes in a Sky Sports poll. She played in her second grand final for Mavericks in 2015. Layla also had the honor of captaining the Mavericks team in 2016.
Team Bath Netball Club
Between 2016 and 2018, Layla played for Team Bath. Her coaches recognized her hard work and skill. They named her the Team Bath Coaches' Player of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.
Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia
Since 2019, Layla has been playing for Adelaide Thunderbirds. This team is part of Suncorp Super Netball, which is Australia's top netball league. For the 2019 season, Layla and her England teammate Chelsea Pitman were chosen to be co-captains of the Thunderbirds.
Playing for England
Layla made her first appearance for the senior England squad in 2012. This was in a match against Jamaica. She also played for England's younger teams, including the under-17, under-19, and under-21 squads. She even captained the under-17 and under-21 teams!
From 2015 to 2018, Layla took a break from playing for England. She wanted to focus on finishing her medical studies and becoming a doctor. She returned to the England squad and was part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2019 Netball World Cup. Sadly, she got injured during a group stage match against Scotland. This meant she couldn't play for the rest of the tournament.
| Tournaments | Place |
|---|---|
| 2013 Fast5 Netball World Series | 6th |
| 2015 Netball Europe Open Championships | 1st |
| 2018 Netball Quad Series (September) | 2nd |
| 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series | 5th |
| 2019 Netball Quad Series | 2nd |
| 2019 Netball World Cup |  |
| 2023 Netball Quad Series | 3rd |
Layla's Career as a Doctor
Layla Guscoth is not just a netball star; she's also a qualified doctor! While playing for Team Bath in 2017 and 2018, she worked as a doctor. She worked at Royal United Hospital and Southmead Hospital.
In 2019, when she was playing for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia, she also worked. She was a researcher and visiting lecturer at the University of Adelaide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 netball season was paused. Layla bravely volunteered to return to the United Kingdom. She went back to work at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham to help during the health crisis.
Layla's Achievements and Awards
Layla Guscoth has earned many honors throughout her netball career.
Team Achievements
- Hertfordshire Mavericks
- Netball Superleague
- Winners: 2011
- Runners up: 2015
- Netball Quad Series
- Runners Up: 2018 (Sep), 2019
Individual Awards
- Netball Superleague Player of the Season
- 2014
 | Aaron Henry |
 | T. R. M. Howard |
 | Jesse Jackson |
