Wednesday 18 September 2019 17:38, UK
Nat Panagarry has re-signed for Loughborough Lightning and is set to run out for the franchise for a fifth consecutive season.
The mid-court player, who was part of the Roses' bronze medal-winning campaign in the summer, becomes the third Lightning player to commit ahead of the 2020 Vitality Netball Superleague season.
Ella Clark is another individual who will be returning with Sam May joining from rivals Wasps Netball.
Panagarry is hopeful that July's World Cup in Liverpool will have spurred more people to turn out and support the domestic league in England.
"Hopefully after the World Cup there will be more sell-out crowds as the more people we can get coming and supporting us the stronger we feel out on court," Panagarry told the franchise's official website.
"Hearing and seeing all our fans there week in week out mean the world to us and they're the ones that can help get us over the finish line."
Lightning missed out on a place in the 2019 Grand Final and their season ended in defeat after a 62-56 loss to Team Bath in the third-place play-off. However, overall it was a strong campaign under Sara Bayman's watch.
"I love the franchise and the team and I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that the club has given me since I've been here - Loughborough feels like home now," said Panagarry.
"We've been in top four now for the last three years and that will always be the goal for the coming season We are now more consistent as a side and will be looking to push those top teams at the right end of the league."
Bayman again will lead Lightning as their head coach and she is keen to tap into the wealth of experience that her player will have gained from her experiences with England.
The Vitality Roses will train against Australia's development team in Canberra before both sides travel to Auckland to face the New Zealand A side.
"It's great to have Nat back for another year," Bayman added.
"After playing in the World Cup with England I'm excited to get her knowledge, energy and leadership back into this group. It's really important that we have a stable core of players and Nat is an integral part of that."
Sky Sports is your home of netball and it returns to your screens shortly, starting with the British Fast5 All-Stars Championships on Saturday October 12, while the Roses return to action under new coach Jess Thirlby when they tour South Africa in November.
