Building a Commonwealth Games Winning Squad

With the trial season well and truly underway across the domestic game, coaches and players up and down the country are already looking ahead to the 2026–27 season. For players, trials are an opportunity to showcase their skills, tactical understanding, and ability to perform under pressure. For coaches, however, trials represent something much bigger: the opportunity to build a squad capable of competing for titles ten months down the line.

Having experienced trials from both perspectives, as both a player and a coach, I understand the challenges each side faces. As a player, you're trying to demonstrate your strengths in a short period of time. You want to show your skillset, your game awareness, and your ability to connect with teammates you've often only just met.

As a coach, the challenge is completely different. Within the space of a few hours, you're trying to assess technical skill, tactical understanding, physical attributes, communication, coach ability, combinations, culture, and potential. You're not simply selecting the best players in the room - you're selecting the players who can help bring your vision for the team to life. And that's where I think many coaches make their biggest mistake. Too often, coaches arrive at trials looking for the best individual performers. The standout athlete. The player who wins the most ball. The player who dominates a particular drill. But successful squad selection isn't about identifying the best individuals.

It's about identifying the right individuals. Before any player steps onto court, coaches should already have a clear picture of the team they want to build.

Ask yourself:

What style of netball do I want us to play?
Where do I need my ball winners?
Where do I need my playmakers?
How do I want us to defend?
How do I want us to attack?
What behaviours are non-negotiable within this group?

Once those questions are answered, the trial process becomes much clearer. You're no longer watching players hoping someone stands out. You're assessing whether players fit the game model you want to build. Using the upcoming England Commonwealth Games squad as an example, let's explore some of the decisions Anna Stembridge may be considering and, more importantly, the lessons coaches can take into their own selection process.

Shooting Circle: Selecting a Partnership, Not Two Shooters

One of the first decisions coaches need to make when selecting a shooting unit is the style of circle they want to build. Do you want a holding circle built around a dominant target shooter? Or do you want a dynamic rotating circle where movement and interchangeability create scoring opportunities?

This decision completely changes the profile of players you select. For example, holding shooters such as Cardwell and Tchine provide an attacking unit with a clear release option. They allow feeders to build patiently to circle edge and create confidence throughout the attacking end because there is always a strong target available when pressure builds.

For coaches, selecting this type of shooter means looking beyond shooting percentage. You need athletes who can:

Hold strong under physical pressure.
Communicate effectively with feeders.
Provide a consistent target.
Create confidence throughout the attacking unit.

The knock-on effect is that your GA profile changes too. If one shooter is predominantly holding, your GA needs to become the connector and playmaker. Players such as Neil and Pearson demonstrate this brilliantly. They can attack space dynamically, connect the attacking third to the circle, create separation through changes of direction, and confidently shoot from range when required.

The lesson for coaches? Don't select positions in isolation. Select partnerships. The effectiveness of one athlete is often determined by who is standing next to them. Likewise, if your preferred style is a rotating circle, you're looking for something completely different. You need athletes who can interchange seamlessly, attack space, shoot confidently from multiple positions, and continually create uncertainty for defenders.

The key coaching question becomes: Are you selecting the best shooters available, or are you selecting the shooting partnership that best suits your game model?

Mid Court: Balancing Reliability and Impact

One of the biggest challenges coaches face during trials is deciding whether to prioritise consistency or impact. Do you select athletes who execute their role exceptionally well every minute they are on court? Or do you select players capable of producing game-changing moments? The answer, of course, is both—but understanding when and where each profile fits within your squad is crucial.

When selecting a mid-court unit, coaches should focus heavily on connections and role clarity. The strongest mid-courts aren't always made up of the most talented individual athletes. They're often made up of players who understand how to work together, create balance across the court, and consistently execute the team's tactical objectives.

If we look at the potential Commonwealth Games squad, Metcalf and Carter have already demonstrated an excellent partnership during Manchester Thunder's NSL campaign. Together, they consistently create strong first and second-phase centre pass options, apply early defensive pressure when possession is lost, and work effectively through the court to create depth, width, and balance in attack.

Allison would complement this combination well as the defensive presence in the unit. Throughout her SSN season, she has shown her ability to disrupt opposition centre passes, shutting down first and second-phase options while working effectively with her Centre to build pressure through both one-on-one and box defensive structures.

For coaches, this type of combination provides a reliable and balanced mid-court. It gives you a unit capable of grinding out results through relentless work rate in both attack and defence, maintaining consistency and control throughout a game. However, there is also an argument for selecting players who can provide a different dimension through their individual strengths. Rather than prioritising consistency, coaches may choose to incorporate specialist playmakers or ball winners who can change the momentum of a game.

Scholes is a great example of this. She is known for her dynamic movement, speed, willingness to give and go, and bravery to release the ball early. Players like Scholes can have a significant impact against defensive units that look to isolate attackers and defend off the body, as they bring an unpredictability that can disrupt established defensive systems. Similarly, Smith offers a different type of impact in defence. Her ability to consistently track on the front of the body, combined with her height and reach through the midcourt, makes her a genuine turnover threat. She is particularly effective against teams that rely on early depth drives and passing into space, as she can create hesitation in attackers and force errors through sustained pressure.

From a coaching perspective, players like Scholes and Smith provide valuable tactical flexibility. While they may not always be your starting option, they offer the ability to change the flow of a game, challenge opposition structures, and provide fresh solutions when momentum needs to shift. As coaches, we often become distracted by spectacular moments. But trials should also be used to identify athletes who consistently make good decisions, create balance, and help others perform better around them. Those players often become the foundation of successful teams.

Defensive Circle: Building a Defensive Unit

Defensive selection should never be based solely on who wins the most ball. Turnovers are important, but defensive success is built on partnership.

Communication.
Trust.
Role clarity.
Consistency.

The best defensive units understand how to work together repeatedly under pressure. For coaches, this means assessing far more than interceptions during trials.

Can players communicate effectively?
Do they understand how to build pressure collectively?
Can they adapt to different attacking styles?
Can they solve problems together?

The partnership between Fadoju and Adio is a perfect example. Both bring different strengths individually, but together they create a defensive unit that consistently challenges opposition attacks. Whilst they are a fantastic partnership, they can sometimes be challenged by highly dynamic, rotating shooting circles. This highlights the importance of having defenders who can consistently restrict attackers and build pressure in one-on-one situations.

Williams is a great example. She can restrict, dictate, and win ball both in and out of the circle, while also offering the versatility of covering all three defensive positions. Combined with her communication skills and ability to build strong partnerships, she provides a reliable defensive option. Harvey offers a slightly different profile. As a specialist GK, her footwork and speed allow her to control one-on-one contests without relying on a GD drop to win ball. Her height and strength make her effective against holding shooters, while her mobility allows her to adapt to more dynamic, rotating circles when needed.

The coaching lesson here is simple: Select defenders based on how they function as a unit, not simply on their individual statistics.

Final Thoughts: Start With Your Vision

Selection will always be one of the hardest responsibilities a coach faces. Every athlete brings something different. Every decision involves compromise. But the coaches who consistently build successful squads tend to follow the same process.They start with a vision. They know how they want their team to play. They understand what roles need to be filled. They identify combinations before individuals.

Then they select players who fit that framework.Only after establishing that foundation do they begin to look at impact players - those athletes capable of changing momentum, creating turnovers, or providing a completely different tactical challenge from the bench. The England Commonwealth Games squad provides a fascinating example of this balancing act. International experience, domestic partnerships, culture, tactical flexibility, and opposition match-ups will all influence Anna Stembridge's final decision.

What makes selection so difficult is also what makes it so interesting. It's never about selecting the twelve best players. It's about selecting the twelve players who can perform best together. But because I know you will ask it, here’s my prediction of the twelve players who will take to the court in Glasgow: