Nat Metcalf has been named as one of twelve athletes in England’s Netball squad for the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The AO Manchester Thunder star will line up in the midcourt for her third Commonwealth Games after previously representing England at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.

On returning for her third Commonwealth Games, 33-year-old Nat Metcalf said: “Honestly, it's an absolute honour to represent England on any occasion. So, to be given the nod in my 3rd Commonwealth Games is just super exciting, and something I'm super proud of to be part of this group. I think it's a really exciting team. We're only a few weeks out now, so I can't wait to get going, to be honest.”

She made her Commonwealth Games debut in 2018 as part of the historic gold medal-winning squad who defeated hosts Australia 52-51 to win England’s first gold medal at a major international tournament.

After the triumph in Australia, Metcalf returned to captain the Vitality Roses at their home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she led her side to a fourth-place finish.

On her previous Commonwealth Games experiences, Keighley’s Metcalf said: “It's something I'm always super proud of and super grateful to have been part of that team. I honestly looked up to the girls, growing up watching those guys play when I was in the younger age groups with England, so to be in that team for 2018, Baby Nat was just so grateful; I absolutely loved it.”

“And now I'm the oldest one in the squad. So, it's still super exciting. I think winning that gold medal out there in the way we did and how it united the country and got everyone talking about netball. I think it was great for the sport and just great for us to see and having done that, I want to do that again for England.“

The last few years have been a whirlwind for Metcalf, for whom the Commonwealth Games will mark around fourteen months since she gave birth to her daughter, Miller.

Since returning to netball after giving birth, Metcalf has played 13 times for Manchester Thunder, with her season culminating in Thunder winning its fifth Netball Super League title.

On returning to sport after pregnancy, four-time Netball Super League champion Metcalf said: “It has been really hard, but in such a rewarding way. I don't think I realised how hard; I was probably naive thinking, ‘oh I'll have a baby and come back to the sport,' but I had like an emergency C-section, and my journey back was a real roller coaster, and it's tested my body and mind in every way possible.”

“But then now, it's all worthwhile, and you put in all that hard work, and I've thrown absolutely everything at it to get back into the sport, and I'm absolutely loving it. Miller comes into camps, and she's around the girls, and it's incredible for me to be able to be a mummy and still be an elite athlete. I loved it, but it was very hard and challenging; it was all worth it because my passion for the game grew even more during my pregnancy. I really missed playing the sport.”

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will see England compete in Pool A alongside Australia, South Africa, Malawi, Tonga and Northern Ireland.

The Netball Pool stage matches will take place between Saturday 25th July and Thursday 30th July before the medal matches will commence on the final day of competition, Sunday 2nd August.

In the pool that England is in, Metcalf, who has played over 80 times for England, said, "I think it's a really exciting group. I think every game is a swing game, and I know it sounds cliche, but we have to take it one at a time, and we're really excited about it.  

“I think it's just about us making sure that we really nail our game plan going into every game, putting out our best performance, and everyone says it now, but the margins within the sport and the game are so fine that you literally have to be on your A game for 100% of the game. You can't have a moment to switch off just because those margins are so fine in our sport, which I guess makes it super exciting.”

The 2026 games will see netball featured for the eighth time after its Commonwealth title was initially contested for at the 1998 games in Malaysia.

England has competed in all of the seven previous Netball Commonwealth Games competitions, winning one gold and three bronze medals and finishing fourth three times.

On what she’d say to the world and English people watching Glasgow 2026, Metcalf said: “I would love everyone to get round the Team England athletes and the netball. Turn on the TV, come to the games, watch the sport, and really get involved, and we love talking about netball, and we're super grateful for everyone's support. Obviously, we're grateful for all the national lottery players. We wouldn't be able to have our full-time programme and do what we're doing without all their support and be funded. So we're massively grateful for all those national lottery players and the support that they provide for us.”

England will start their netball campaign against Northern Ireland on Saturday 25th July, with further times and fixtures available on the Glasgow 2026 website.