'Netball isn't just a girls' sport' - England men set for international debut

James Thomson-Boston grew up successful Australia earlier moving to England

History volition beryllium made connected Sunday erstwhile England's inaugural men's netball squad play their archetypal planetary lucifer against Australia successful Sydney.

The men's lucifer volition beryllium a curtain-raiser to England Roses' - the women's broadside - 2nd crippled of a three-match bid against Australia connected Sunday.

Thomson-Boston tells BBC Sport astir getting into a athletics predominantly played by women and what it means to beryllium portion of a broadside that volition spell down successful history.

'It isn't conscionable a girls' sport'

Thomson-Boston, who turns 30 connected Wednesday, started retired arsenic a hoops subordinate but "fell successful love" with netball aft helium was asked by friends to play mixed netball.

"It's a highly diversion athletics that doesn't get the recognition it deserves for however pugnacious it is to play," helium says.

"Most boys articulation and they're conscionable moving astir each over, but erstwhile you truly commencement to larn the crippled you realise however astonishing it is."

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There are presently astir 10 men's netball clubs successful the UK, including Knights, whom Thomson-Boston besides captains.

Men person agelong been a portion of the grooming process for Super League teams and the Roses, but now, done England Men's and Mixed Netball Association (EMMNA), they are starting to make their ain individuality successful the sport.

"The men's crippled is simply a batch much aerial with much contests successful the air. It's seen arsenic an diversion benignant of netball, whereas the pistillate broadside is precise smart," says Thomson-Boston.

"That's wherefore it's truthful astonishing to play the Roses the mode we bash due to the fact that there's lone truthful overmuch we tin bash successful a crippled by being athletic.

"You ticker the Roses play and you deliberation 'OK, truthful that's what I tin bash to bushed a subordinate that means I'm not conscionable sprinting astatine 100mph'.

The Thorns squad was announced successful March but trials took spot earlier Covid deed and Thomson-Boston says "people were moving tirelessly down the scenes" to guarantee the infrastructure was successful spot to get the squad up and moving aft lockdown.

Once the team was announced Thomson-Boston says "it ne'er felt similar thing different than partners" betwixt them and the Roses.

The men adjacent helped with England's preparations for this summer's Commonwealth Games successful Birmingham.

"It conscionable validates the information that this isn't conscionable a girls' sport, that boys should beryllium allowed to play it and that the stigma volition assistance the much that we propulsion ourselves retired there."

'Why are we limiting anyone playing immoderate sport?'

Thomson-Boston was calved successful Australia, wherever netball is 1 of the ascendant nationalist sports and, helium says, determination is nary stigma astir men playing netball.

"Men's netball, women's netball, mixed netball - it's each nether the aforesaid banner and it's respected arsenic the aforesaid sport," helium says.

"When I moved implicit to England astir 9 years agone I noticed it was non-existent. Even conscionable trying to find a mixed squad was truly tough. I would accidental 'I'm conscionable disconnected to play netball' and radical would say, 'you mean basketball?'"

Thomson-Boston says galore of the Thorns players had to combat to play the athletics they love.

"A fewer of the boys persevered done rather a pugnacious mates of years wherever they've said 'I truly privation to play this sport' and they've been met with resistances astatine schoolhouse oregon astatine different netball clubs who didn't privation a lad playing with them," helium says.

"Now they're present astatine the elite level and it conscionable shows this athletics should beryllium disposable for boys to play,use wherefore are we limiting anyone playing sport? You should beryllium capable to play immoderate athletics you want."

The Thorns helped the Roses successful their preparations for the Commonwealth Games and successful the build-up to their bid successful Australia

Who amended to trial themselves against astatine the elite level than the sport's ascendant force, Australia.

"We cognize Australia are an elite squad and they person been for a while, but we person the constituent of surprise," says Thomson-Boston. "We've watched their games and they person immoderate diversion boys, but not compared to the boys we have.

"It could beryllium mendacious confidence, but you should ne'er spell into a crippled reasoning you're going to suffer and, arsenic a captain, I could ne'er accidental that. So we've got this.

"This is not conscionable for radical who are portion of our England set-up. We each travel from idiosyncratic clubs wherever we've been allowed successful to all-female clubs, and sometimes they've conscionable fto 1 of the boys successful to train.

"No substance the outcome, we cognize we're going to bash them each arrogant and the triumph volition beryllium a bonus."

Thomson-Boston says helium and EMMNA anticipation that planetary fixtures tin go much frequent, with a presumption to getting astatine slightest mixed netball into the Commonwealth Games.

"The entity is the limit," helium says. "I would emotion to person a afloat men's squad there, but if we're doing babe steps past mixed would beryllium first."

'It's monumental for netball'

The Roses statesman their bid against Australia connected Wednesday successful Newcastle, adjacent Sydney, and for galore players it volition beryllium their archetypal planetary netball since the disappointment of finishing fourth astatine the Commonwealth Games successful August.

Defender Geva Mentor, who has 160 England caps, says it is an accidental to amusement they person recovered from their "traumatic experience" successful Birmingham and besides a "monumental" infinitesimal to person the men playing connected Sunday.

"It's truly exciting. How large that the men are the curtain raiser erstwhile usually successful astir sports it's the different mode around?" she says.

"Why not get excited astir it? It brings a antithetic dynamic. It's not trying to regenerate pistillate netball - it's conscionable trying to find it's ain niche successful the world.

"It's monumental to person them playing alongside america - it's wherever we privation to instrumentality it. Netball is successful a truly steadfast abstraction with regards sex equality, and it's important for america to support improving and pushing that.

"I've ever been a large advocator for boys successful netball. They're pumped to beryllium present and that's the mode it should beryllium due to the fact that they're starring the mode connected it.

"The much radical are playing, the much we tin seizure a antithetic assemblage and the greater it's going to be."

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