England Roses Captain, Serena Guthrie, has announced her retirement from International and Elite Domestic Netball following the news she is expecting her first child.
Widely regarded as one of the the greatest mid-court players in the game, achieving her first of 110 senior caps aged just 18, Guthrie has been part of the Roses side in three Netball World Cups and two Commonwealth Games and has captained her country 28 times.
At the the most recent 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, Guthrie was part of the England team that made history when they beat the Australian Diamonds to win gold, and at the most recent 2019 World Cup, in Liverpool, she captained the side as they achieved bronze in front of their home crowd.
In Domestic Elite Netball, Guthrie has played in the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia for Giants, the ANZ Premiership in New Zealand for Northern Mystics and the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) in the UK for Team Bath.
The news means the mid-court star has started and ended her elite playing career in the UK’s VNSL at Team Bath, where she first took to court in 2006-2007 winning the Superleague in her very first season before rejoining them in 2019 until now as she ends.
Off the court, Guthrie was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to netball.
Serena Guthrie, MBE, Vitality Roses legend, said: “Bob and I are thrilled to be expecting our first child together.
“Being a mum is an amazing new chapter in my life and I’m really excited about what that’s going to bring to me.
“I cannot wait to be part of the Netball Family willing on the Vitality Roses in the Commonwealth Games this summer in Birmingham and being the biggest cheerleader for Team Bath for the rest of the Vitality Netball Superleague season.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure and honour to have been able to play netball domestically and internationally for so long, working and playing alongside the most incredible group of athletes and staff along the way.
“It’s been a real privilege to be the Vitality Roses captain for as long as I have and want to thank everyone for their support in helping to make my journey in netball so special.”
World Netball would like to congratulate Guthrie on her pregnancy news and thank her for her outstanding contributions to netball around the world.
Watch the full message from Guthrie:
