Roses Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma reflects on U21 tour to Australia

2025 started with a bang for England’s U21 squad who travelled Down Under to play a series of matches against U21 teams from Australia and New Zealand.

Led by co-captains Izzi Phillips and Tamilore Fapohunda, the squad took on the challenge of these back-to-back games with conviction, picking up plenty of valuable learnings along the way.

On the team’s return from Australia, we caught up with Roses Pathway Head Coach Sonia Mkoloma to reflect on the experience.

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She said: “This tri-series of training matches between New Zealand, Australia and ourselves was the best thing; it gave me the opportunity to really test our U21 cohort and see how they match up against these established netball nations.

“We were able to test their [the players’] physical and mental toughness, whilst immersing them in a professional training environment surrounded by Australian Diamonds players… I was able to see how they matched up against their counterparts, but, more importantly, see where our strengths lie.”

The experience delivered valuable development opportunities beyond the court too, with the squad being offered the chance to visit and observe NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball Suncorp Super Netball pre-season training sessions, and amongst a lot of hard work, Mkoloma made sure to put some time aside for team building which allowed the squad to visit some iconic Australian landmarks together. From sightseeing at the Sydney Opera House to supporting England women’s cricket team at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, the tour was full of highlights on and off the court.

The focus for Sonia and the team now moves quickly onto the Netball World Youth Cup later this year in September as preparations begin to intensify. Looking ahead, she said: “This tour was a major step up in our journey, ticking off our targets and ensuring we are providing our pathway athletes with the knowledge needed both on and off the court to be able to compete in the Netball World Youth Cup in 2025.

“My support team and I, and more importantly the players, now have eight months to ensure no stone is left unturned, and they will to be ready to compete. I reminded the athletes that as they go back to their clubs, what is important now is the work they do to prepare their bodies when no one is looking.”

To keep up to date on the team’s journey to the Netball World Youth Cup later this year you can follow @EnglandNetball on X, Instagram and TikTok, and England Netball on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Images by: Davey Barber (5FOOT Photography)

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