England Netball head coach Jess Thirlby says she is 'passionate' about building relationships with the Vitality Superleague clubs because she believes it will help the Roses' move forward.

Thirlby has spent five months with the side since being appointed in the summer, leading the Roses' tours of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as well as guiding her team to a bronze at the Nations Cup last month.

And she believes that forming stronger relationships with the Superleague clubs will give the Roses a better chance of achieving success over the next four-year cycle.

She said: "I'm really passionate about building the relationships with the clubs and getting out into the Superleague environment.

"I welcome supporting the direction of travel of our Superleague environment because it will play such an integral part of the next four/five years and beyond.

"If we can make sure that we're supporting the quality within those club environments and helping to create a landscape which moves more towards professionalism, it will provide a boost the Roses programme and the quality of players who come out to us.

"I think what the club environments have done until now is pretty special, and it's off the back of not very much, financially and commercially."