The first step to the English Vitality Roses defending their Commonwealth Games title is set to take place in September as they compete against the New Zealand Silver Ferns.
Whilst the games start on 20th September, the Vitality Roses are setting off early in order to leave New Zealand’s quarantine period on the 10th September.
This allows the team to train together and prepare for three intense fixtures against the number two ranked World Netball team and defending INF World Champions on the 20th, 22nd and 24th September, in the first games the two teams have played since the 2020 Cadbury Netball Series.
After this, the Roses will set off to face the Australian Diamonds, the top team in World Netball, in another three-game series in October, with dates to be confirmed subject to travel restrictions and quarantine regulations.
Both of these series pit England against top-level competition and teams that are also taking part in the Commonwealth Games, thus serving as a proving ground for the defending champions to showcase their skills to a bigger international audience.
One of the major talking points leading up to the series is that Sky Sports are set to film every game, following on from their Vitality Superleague coverage earlier in the year, which saw the Loughborough Lightning finally break their finals curse and lift the trophy over Team Bath.
The Superleague coverage proved to be a big hit for Sky Sports and increased interest in netball classes for a sport that is exceptionally reliant on its grassroots.
The next Netball World Championship is set to take place in South Africa in 2023.