13 November 2020

England’s Vitality Roses to host Jamaica in four-match netball series in January next year

England netball have announced plans to host Jamaica in a four-match test series at the end of January 2021. 

It will mark the first international competition on home soil in a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and will be played behind-closed-doors.

Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls have agreed to travel to the UK for a period of isolation before playing the Roses. 

The tournament has been named The Vitality Netball Legends Series and will take place annually in the autumn after the series has been completed in January. 

England Netball have revealed that the squad will face a different world-class team in each edition and will name the trophy for the series each year in honour of a different star within netball. 

The series against Jamaica will be for the Jean Hornsby Cup, named in honour of England Netball's first black player.

CEO of England Netball Fran Connolly said: "We are absolutely delighted to announce that international netball will once again be showcased on home soil.

"Whilst this series will look different from what we're used to, without fans in attendance, we know that the netball family will be cheering on the Vitality Roses from homes across the country.

"A tremendous amount of work and effort has gone into making this possible, and we will be following extensive medical guidance and ensuring strict safety protocols are in place throughout for the safety of all involved.

“There's still a lot of work to do but we are so pleased to be able to get this series agreed.”

Venues and dates of the 2021 event are yet to be announced. 

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