Netball World Cup 2019 (NWC2019) has announced that England Commonwealth gold medallist and longstanding netball star Jade Clarke has been appointed as an ambassador for next year’s tournament. Primarily a midcourt defender, Clarke was a player at the triumphant Gold Coast games where England beat Australia to win gold.
Clarke was first selected for the Vitality England Roses in 2002 and made her senior debut in 2003 playing against New Zealand. During her career Clarke has competed at four Netball World Cups and four Commonwealth Games, and also plays domestic netball in the Vitality Superleague, recently re-joining Coventry’s Wasps Netball team for the 2019 season.
A momentous year for the mid-courter, Clarke won her 150 cap in the final of the Commonwealth Games in Australia this April, making her the most-capped player of all time in the Roses squad.
Speaking on her appointment as NWC2019 ambassador, Clarke said: “I’m thrilled to be named as an ambassador for the World Cup next year. I’ve had a long history with the Roses, and after the amazing experience at the Gold Coast earlier this year, it’s so exciting to be playing on home turf.
“It’s a real honour to be an ambassador for the NWC2019, as an athlete you tend to be quite hard on yourself and always looking for the next challenge. So when I was asked it really gave me a chance to stop and think about all the amazing highs, lows and experiences that brought me to where I am now. Netball is on the rise in the UK and I’d love for NWC2019 to have a real impact on players across the country and internationally, so it’s really exciting to be part of that with an ambassador role.”
Lindsay Impett, NWC2019 Event Director, added: “Jade is a fantastic ambassador for the Netball World Cup 2019, and for the sport itself. As the most-capped player in the Roses, Jade is a brilliant role model for netball fans and an example of where the sport can take you. I’m delighted to have her on board.”
Clarke has already begun her ambassadorial duties, as judge of the NWC2019 mascot competition.
The event – which is to be delivered by Netball World Cup 2019 Limited in partnership with the International Netball Federation, England Netball, UK Sport, Liverpool City Council and ACC Liverpool – will take place at Echo Arena Liverpool from 12-21 July 2019.
The Netball World Cup 2019 is set to be an incredible sporting spectacle with tickets in high demand. Tickets for netball’s premier international sporting tournament are now on sale here.
The full competition schedule and Preliminaries Stage One fixtures can be viewed at Netball World Cup 2019.
Courtesy of Netball World Cup 2019 via Conker Communications
