Ella Clark is ready to take her chance after her late call-up to Team England's netball squad for the Commonwealth Games.

The 34-year-old made her Roses debut in 2016 and will finally get the opportunity to compete at the Games after a calf injury ruled out Nat Metcalf.

Head coach Anna Stembridge hailed Clark as the "ultimate team player" ahead of England's opening match against Northern Ireland at the Hydro on Saturday.

"This news brings an exciting opportunity for Ella, who has played an exceptional role as a reserve for the competition during our preparation in recent weeks and has been welcomed into the group in Glasgow this week," said Stembridge.

"Following a phenomenal Netball Super League season this year, Ella has been present throughout our preparation camps for the Games, where she has been the ultimate team player, building on her established connection with Jess Shaw in the mid-court and developing exciting new connections with the likes of Eleanor Cardwell in the shooting circle.

"The tactical diversity that we have across this squad has enabled us the freedom to look beyond a traditional like-for-like positional swap, and this change brings an even richer depth of options in our attack, particularly with Lois Pearson excelling at both goal attack and wing attack.

"Ella has shown that she has both the form and fitness to withstand, and thrive in, an intense competition schedule that sees us play seven matches across nine days.

"Taking into account the physical and psychological demands that a Commonwealth Games schedule will put on players, ultimately the decision has been made based on which athlete performed, connected and combined best with the existing squad during our preparation camps."

Clark is a three-time Netball Super League champion with Loughborough Lightning but missed out on the Games on the Gold Coast and in Birmingham.

"I'm absolutely gutted for Nat after her injury," she said.

"She's not only a great friend and team-mate but also a fierce competitor who truly deserved this opportunity. While the circumstances are far from what anyone would have wanted, I'm grateful for the chance to step in and represent the team, and I'm excited to be part of this incredible group as we head into the Games."

Stembridge also hailed the contribution of Metcalf, who was part of the Roses team that won gold in Australia eight years ago. She sustained the injury earlier this week at the Games preparation camp in Loughborough.

"I'm honestly devastated not to be able to continue with the team in our Commonwealth Games campaign. It's been a very emotional couple of days and something that I think will take some time for me to process fully," said Metcalf.

"Getting an injury this close to the start line is really, really tough for anyone, but unfortunately that is the harsh reality of elite sport sometimes."

Sportsbeat 2026