Layla Guscoth

Biography

‘Half doctor, half netballer’ is how Layla Guscoth describes herself in her Twitter bio.

The defender has – and continues to – successfully balance the mental and physical demands of pursuing two passions.

Originally picking up netball at primary school, Guscoth began to take the sport more seriously as time went on, representing her secondary school and then a team called Parkside Netball Club alongside Beth Cobden.

"The most influential person at that stage was my P.E. teacher, Caroline Key, who really thought that I could be something in netball, who encouraged me to go to a club and sent me to junior trials for England. She helped me get to where I am today.”

Guscoth, who loved watching current Assistant Coach Sonia Mkoloma when she was younger, played for England at U17, U19 and U21 level before making her Vitality Roses debut in 2012.

After discovering an interest in medicine during a hospital work experience placement in sixth form, she juggled medicine and netball until 2015 when she entered the foundation years of her junior doctor training and decided to take a break from the international scene.

Watching her teammates win the 2018 Commonwealth Games spurred her on to return, and she secured her first call-up to a senior major international competition for the Vitality Netball World Cup 2019.

A true role model, she displayed mental resilience both on and beyond the court to return from a ruptured Achilles sustained at the World Cup and then to swap her dress for scrubs when COVID-19 hit and make the over 10,500-mile journey to her hometown of Birmingham to support the effort to tackle the coronavirus.

Interested in supporting people of all ages and abilities in their netball journeys? See how you can volunteer here.