Jayda Pechová has earned selection to the England Netball squad for this summer’s Commonwealth Games just a year on from the lowest moment of her international career.
Pechová is the youngest player in Anna Stembridge’s squad of 12 set to compete in Glasgow this summer, following a standout season at Nottingham Forest.
The 21-year-old goal keeper collected all available individual honours at the Netball Super League end of season awards, as she produced the perfect response to being dropped from the England Roses squad last year.
Pechová was named Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year and is now out to show the world why on the big stage at Glasgow 2026.
“Any time you put on the red dress it is such a privilege and such an honour,” she said.
“At such a big competition like the Commonwealth Games, I’d say it means even more because it’s obviously on a larger scale.
“The Commonwealth Games is an incredible thing for netball because we get to reach out to more people and not just our core fan base, so it’s really exciting.”
But it was a different story last year. In a series of setbacks, Pechová was dropped from the England Roses senior programme and then was not initially included in the squad for the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar in September 2025.
“Personally, last year I was on a bit of a downward trajectory. I was quite shocked. I didn’t expect [to get dropped] and that was hard for me,” she said.
“But I’m very much someone who just moves on to the next thing so the next day I spoke to the staff at Forest and was like, ‘I want to get my head down, I want to work hard all of summer’.
“I was in the gym in the off season working really hard to solidify the little things and to put myself in the best position to be selected this year.
“The World Cup was another kick in the teeth. I felt I put myself in a good position to be selected and did end up going in the end, which was an incredible experience, but not getting selected into that initial 12 was heartbreaking.
“But I just viewed it as I'm a reserve and I'm going to go into the camp and still train really, really hard to make the selectors second guess their selection and just give all the input I can.
“Then, I obviously ended up going and that was brilliant, and I really enjoyed my time with the girls.”
It was an attitude that served Pechová well. The goal keeper finished in the NSL’s top three for interceptions, gains and deflections last season as Forest powered into the top four for the first time in just their second season in existence.
Those stats and the performances that accompanied them saw her sweep the board at the Netball Super League awards, a reflection of the esteem in which she is held within the game.
“You learn a lot in sport. There's obviously a lot of lows and probably not as many highs so it's just how you how you deal with that in the moment that holds you back or just powers you forward,” Pechová added.
“For me, the most important thing was just like, ‘Well my goal for next year is to get back into the programme and I'm going to do everything in my power that I can do in order for that.’
“My main purpose for the year was to do well with Forest and we had our goals there which we definitely achieved. We wanted to be top four, obviously we had the aim of winning the Super League, and that's going to be our goal for the future until we do it.
“I'm proud of all the girls and they've all supported me to get to where I am now, getting selected for the Commonwealth Games.
“Everyone at Forest, my family, my friends and the girls you see on court have all played a massive part in my journey and getting me to where I am now.
“I won a few awards this year and I'm very, very grateful but I'm not someone who's like, ‘Yes that means I'm the best.’
“I still have so much more to give to the sport and I'm excited to see like myself progress over the next couple years.”
That will continue in Glasgow when England's Commonwealth Games campaign gets underway on the 25 July, with Pechová ready to take the fine form from her bounce back to show exactly why she is back in the England set-up.
With the Roses meeting South Africa and Northern Ireland in their group, Pechová is guaranteed to meet some Forest teammates along the way, including Proteas’ Rolene Streutker who will be her opposite number.
But there will be no club loyalty when it comes to Pechová and England’s aspirations at the Commonwealth Games.
“The goal is always to win. I'm definitely not one who likes to lose so winning is definitely the goal,” she said.
“But as a team it's very important for us to take every single day and game day-by-day and focus on the next opposition. It's not about the goal, it's about the process.”
