Forthcoming international fixtures not yet confirmed, however a full Vitality Roses' return to training roadmap will be released soon
Thursday 16 July 2020 16:12, UK
Serena Guthrie and Jo Harten return to England Netball's Vitality Roses programme for the 2020-21 international season as the governing body continues to plan for the elite team's return to court.
Both players took time out from international netball after England's bronze medal World Cup campaign in Liverpool last year; Harten took a six-month period off and Guthrie stepped away from all netball for a year.
The duo are part of the 24-strong squad selected by head coach Jess Thirlby; 16 chosen through the P1 route for UK based athletes and eight through the P2, for atheletes who play in Suncorp Super Netball or the ANZ Premiership.
Prior to the cornavirus pandemic, the national team had their sights on a Quad Series with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in late September and October, however that has been now cancelled.
New fixtures for the next international season have not yet been confirmed due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Currently, England Netball are preparing a number of different return to court scenarios and a Vitality Roses return to training roadmap is set to be released soon.
"It is wonderful to see some experienced names coming back into the programme after taking a well-deserved break following the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, including the likes of Jo Harten and Serena Guthrie," Thirlby said.
"We have a real mix of new and experienced talent in this group, from rising stars like Razia Quashie, to Jade Clarke who has 176 caps for England under her belt.
It's a really strong and diverse group to be working with, which is exciting and shows the strength in depth we have in character and ability.
"We are working hard to establish clarity regarding what will happen with 2020-21 international fixtures due to the current climate and as soon as we can safely all come back together, we will be raring to get back out there in front of the netball family."
Eight players have also been selected for the Roses Futures programme; Amy Carter, Beth Ecuyer-Dale, Kira Rothwell, Olivia Tchine, Zara Everitt, Jessica Shaw, Iona Christian, and Halimat Adio.
This programme also allows players to focus on a dual career, supporting full-time education or work alongside a commitment to developing as an athlete within the Roses set up.
