It will be a long journey to Glasgow 2026 for Nat Metcalf, but she is determined to be there alongside her daughter.

The netballer will become a mum for the first time this spring and is already itching to get back playing the sport she loves.

The 32-year-old knows it will not be an easy task, but she is prepared to tackle the difficult days in order to inspire both her daughter, and her fellow female athletes.

“I would absolutely love nothing more than to be back in the England dress,” said Metcalf, who is eyeing her third Commonwealth Games as part of Team England.

“I know that the road will be difficult, probably one of the hardest things I will have to do but I would love to be able to get there and be with the England team at the Commonwealth Games.

“I will give it my absolute all and leave no stone unturned in pursuit of that dream.

“The thought of having my little girl in the stands watching her mum play netball is so motivating, it gives me goosebumps. It is a really big driver for me and I would be extremely proud to be able to do that.

“I think about it quite a lot; I picture myself back out there playing and training. It is about taking one step at a time and knowing that it is going to be a journey, it is not going to be sunshine and rainbows.”

If Metcalf is looking for inspiration, she does not need to look far within netball or Team England.

Metcalf will become the third mother of the historic 2018 gold medal-winning team alongside Eboni Usoro-Brown and Serena Kersten.

With more and more female athletes returning to their sport after pregnancy, Metcalf is determined to learn as much as she can to follow in those footsteps.

“It is incredible what women can do, and what they have done,” she added. “It is so inspiring seeing people return and I think I can do it when I see others do it. It is very inspiring and motivating.

“I am quite terrified about how hard I think being a mum could be, but it does spur me on.

“It is a really tight-knit community within netball, so I know if I ever need to reach out to someone that’s something I can do.

“I am in a WhatsApp group with other British athletes who are mums or going to be mums from all different sports. It is really good that we have that, it is such an open space where people want others to do well and be a mum as well as live their dream as an athlete.


“It is an incredible thing to bring a child into the world, and I can’t wait to do that. Then to have your fellow athletes around you who are championing you on to get back to the game and to share their experiences, I am really fortunate to have all those people around me.”

A year is a long time in sport, but Metcalf is already spending her time on the sidelines wisely as a coach and is hopeful she will return to court an even better player in time for Glasgow 2026.

“It has given me this new lease of life to see the game in a different light,” she said. “It has helped me develop my game even though I’m not playing.

“Learning from others while I have been on the sidelines has been a really big lesson for me.”

Metcalf is plotting her return with the aim of helping England return to the podium after a disappointing fourth-place finish at Birmingham 2022.

A run to the World Cup final a year later furnished England’s credentials as real challengers for gold in Glasgow, and Metcalf believes the hurt of missing out will be the extra motivation they need.

She said: “The upcoming Commies is incredibly exciting for the group. We are hungrier than ever to get back on that podium and right some of the wrongs of 2022, even though some of our performances were brilliant.”