Rhinos named in England Under 21 squad

England Netball Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma has selected a squad of 16 Under 21 athletes who will represent England in a tour to Australia to play Under 21 sides from Australia and New Zealand in January 2025. 

The matches will be played in Canberra between 17 and 23 January in a tournament that will see the athletes, who are part of the Vitality Roses, Future Roses and Roses Academy programmes, take on Under 21 teams from two of the world’s top netball nations, Australia and New Zealand.  

The selected squad features the experience of Vitality Rose Jayda Pechova who made her senior debut for the Vitality Roses in September 2023, as well as four athletes, Sophie Egbaran, Harriet Jones, Sophie Kelly and Isabella Phillips, who recently competed in the FAST5 Netball World Series in New Zealand. 

Isabella Phillips and Tamilore Fapohunda have been named co-captains for the series, and they will be supported by a wider leadership group which will be announced in due course. 

England Netball Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma commented: “We are excited to be taking this talented Under 21 group on what will be the first international overseas tour for this age group since Covid.?  

“The players have been working hard both within the Roses Pathway and at their respective clubs as well as doing the additional individual work behind closed doors. This tour will allow us to see how players are progressing and how they will fare in a competition made up of the world’s top nations. 

“This squad is made up of 16 players who we have seen consistently?performing within our current Vitality Roses, Future Roses and Roses Academy programmes and the travelling group are all eligible by age for the Netball World Youth Cup taking place in Gibraltar in September 2025.?

We have named Isabella Phillips and Tamilore Fapohunda as co-captains for this tour. We congratulate these two players for their contributions to the team and see this as a great developmental opportunity for them both. We look forward to continuing to support them in this role.”