Natalie Metcalf eyes Premier League and World Cup glory after groundbreaking Abu Dhabi trip

England and Manchester Thunder captain Natalie Metcalfe has two firm goals in 2023: retaining the domestic Premier League title and getting her country’s netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa shine on.

Metcalf believes that the Premier League, which starts in February, will provide her and her England teammates with the ideal platform for their games to peak in time for the World Cup in July.

“Going into the domestic season as the defending champions obviously adds to the pressure, but our intention is very clear, and that is to keep the Chinese Super League title,” Metcalf told Reuters. National during their pre-season tour to Abu Dhabi on Monday.

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“We have some new faces in our squad and we want to be at our best every week. We know others will have the same intentions, but we’re up for the challenge.”

Metcalf rejoined the Thunder’s tour of Abu Dhabi after England lost 3-0 to Australia last week.

“It’s a tough series against Australia,” she said. “They were a close game. We were down 55-54 in the first game and 8 and 4 in the next two games. We can take a lot of positives from those three games.

“We look forward to playing more games with other countries, with the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa as our long-term goal.”

Metcalf was a gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and made his first appearance for the Roses against Trinidad and Tobago in 2015.

She has won medals at the 2019 Netball European Championships and the Vitality Netball World Cup and achieved domestic success in both England and Australia, playing for Leeds Carnegie, Yorkshire Jets, Manchester Thunder, Hornets team and the New South Wales Swifts.

The 29-year-old is now part of the team’s pioneering project to establish the Manchester Thunder Academy in Abu Dhabi in partnership with Emirates Netball and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

“This is our first preseason tour, and as far as I know, we haven’t done anything like this before,” she said of the tour.

“I would love to come back to Abu Dhabi every year for the pre-season and I think that really should be the way we are here to promote and grow the sport.

“It was amazing to see Manchester Thunder Academy in Abu Dhabi, it’s something I really love.

“I love pitching, everyone at Manchester Thunder loves pitching, and we’re excited to build this path here to give girls the opportunity to play here.”

Metcalf will lead an “attack masterclass” while Tyler McEvitt will conduct defensive drills for girls aged seven to 16 at Active Al Maryah on Thursday.

On Friday, the Thunder will host a workshop at Zayed Sports City, followed by a performance drill.

Updated: 11/9/2022 4:08AM