Jayda Pechova | Goal Keeper
Jayda Pechova will hope to show why she is one of the Netball Super League’s most exciting young talents with her performances for Nottingham Forest Netball this season.
Comfortable at both goalkeeper and goal defence, Pechova quickly made a name for herself with her performances for Team Bath during two seasons in blue and gold.
She moved to Bath after making her NSL debut for London Pulse in 2022, with the defender combining her netball with a degree in Sports Performance at the University of Bath.
Pechova was a key player for Team Bath in 2024, with her 28 intercepts the joint third-highest of any player in the NSL, despite being just 19 years old throughout the season.
Pechova was selected as part of the Future Roses programme for the 2022/23 season, where she represented England at Under 19 and Under 21.
She also represented England at the Fast5 World Netball Series in 2022 and 2024, making her senior debut in September 2023.
Natasha Pavelin | Goal Defence
Tash Pavelin joins Nottingham Forest as vice-captain after six seasons at Team Bath, coming through the club’s performance pathway, is keen to hit the ground running in the East Midlands.
She is a versatile player who is comfortable operating at goal defence, goal keeper and wing defence and made 18 appearances last season.
Whilst playing in Somerset, Pavelin helped Team Bath to second and third place finishes in 2021 and 2022 respectively, before an ACL injury suffered in pre-season training ahead of the 2023 season kept her sidelined for the entire campaign.
She returned to the Blue and Gold for last year’s season opener and in 2024 was also elevated to the full-time Vitality Roses programme for 2024/25.
Pavelin had previously represented England at U17 and U21 levels, earning her first senior call up in October 2022 for England’s Vitality Netball International Series with Uganda.
She has also represented England during their fourth-place finish at the 2022 Fast5 Netball World Series and played for England A in 2023.
Ané Retief | Goal Defence
Ané Retief made her senior international debut for the SPAR Proteas back in October 2024 against Malawi, having already represented her country at the 2023 Fast5 Netball World Series.
She was part of the South Africa squad at the 2024 Fast5 Netball World Series, where her side finished fourth.
Retief was also part of the South Africa squad at the 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup, where they were defeated by the England Roses in the final.
An exciting player to watch in the circle, Retief's on-the-toes approach makes it difficult for shooters to settle and the defender is ready to step up skills in her first year in the NSL.
Retief represented Free State Crinums in South Africa, winning the Telkom Netball League title in 2024.
She represented the Baby Proteas and President’s XII before making her senior international debut.
Niamh Cooper | Wing Defence
Northern Ireland’s Niamh Cooper has a wealth of netball experience and will be a crucial player for Nottingham Forest this season.
Cooper can play centre or wing defence, and joins head coach Chelsea Pitman’s side as skipper and hopes to lead her team to success.
Cooper made her domestic netball debut in 2014 at Team Northumbria and has also played for Severn Stars and Surrey Storm.
In a Northern Ireland dress, Cooper represented her country 75 times, including at the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool where she was a key performer. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was her third Games which included a match against world champions New Zealand on her 30th birthday.
Hannah Leighton | Centre
Hannah Leighton is a versatile mid-courter who can play at either wing defence or centre.
Leighton, who stands at 176cm tall, began her Netball Super League career at Wasps and made her first appearance in 2021.
Moves to Cardiff Dragons and Strathclyde Sirens have since followed and she has racked up plenty of Super League experience as a result.
Leighton made her international debut for Scotland in 2021 and has represented her country at the Netball World Cup on her way to 27 national caps.
Leighton previously spent time in the England Roses pathway, where she was part of the Academy, before declaring for Scotland.
Iona Christian | Centre
The centre Iona Christian has joined Nottingham Forest Netball for our inaugural Netball Super League season, with Christian’s fleet of foot and fast feeds set to be key for the East Midlands outfit.
Christian brings plenty of NSL experience to Forest, with the 27-year-old, making her debut at Severn Stars after coming through the north west pathway.
Three seasons at Wasps Netball followed between 2020 and 2022 before Christian, who can also play at centre, returned to Thunder for the 2023 season.
Internationally, Christian plays for Scotland and represented the Thistles at both the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
She came through the England pathway, representing the Roses at the 2017 Netball Youth World Cup in Botswana.
Rhea Dixon | Goal Attack
Rhea Dixon scored 128 goals in 2024, can play across the forward line, being no stranger to goal attack, goal shooter or wing attack.
Her career began in 2017 at Surrey Storm before going on to play for Leeds Rhinos. She helped the West Yorkshire team to the top four in 2021 but injury decimated her 2022 campaign.
In 2023 she joined Loughborough Lightning and won back-to-back NSL titles, where she operated alongside Mary Cholhok, Emma Thacker and Suzie Liverseidge as part of a feared quartet.
Internationally, Dixon represents Jamaica after making her debut for the Sunshine Girls in 2024 in the first match of the Vitality Netball Horizon Series against England and was named MVP in the final game.
Brie Grierson | Wing Attack
Brie Grierson, who primarily plays goal or wing attack, started her career at Yorkshire Jets before going to represent Team Northumbria and Loughborough Lightning. In 2018 she joined London Pulse.
After time in the capital, Grierson moved back up North to Leeds Rhinos in 2021 and excelled in West Yorkshire. She made 20 appearances that year – scoring 12 goals - and helped the Rhinos to the Finals Weekend.
Her performances earned her a place at wing attack in the season's All Star VII, and a call-up to the Future Roses programme.
More goals followed – 202 in fact - in 2022 and 2023 for Leeds Rhinos and after a brief stint back with London Pulse, is ready to hit the ground running with Nottingham Forest Netball.
Grierson made her international debut for Jamaica alongside Nottingham Forest Netball teammate Rhea Dixon against South Africa in a 55-47-win January 2025 – replacing Khadijah Williams in Wing Attack.
Anya Williams | Attacker
The exciting young attacker earned her first contract in the NSL in 2024, joining Manchester Thunder. Williams started her career at YWCA Bury Netball Club, crowned National Club winners in both 2022 and 2023.
On the international stage, Williams has been part of the Roses Academy since 2021 and was part of the Team England squad that won bronze at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.
The goal shooter / goal attack was named in the Vitality Roses programme for the 2025/26 season, joining her new teammate, Tash Pavelin, in Jess Thirlby’s squad.
Rolene Streutker | Goal Shooter
Rolene Streutker is renowned for her prowess under the post and the South African goal shooter is looking to take the Netball Super League by storm after signing for Nottingham Forest Netball.
In 2023, she made her senior international debut in a 62-43 loss to Australia, but demonstrated her clinical nature in the shooting circle by finishing with a 92% conversion rate from the game.
Streutker has mixed it with some of the best Australian netballers too having joined the Melbourne Mavericks as a training partner in 2024. The opportunity allowed her to further refine her skills.
Streutker has agility and precision in bucket loads and her switch to the NSL highlights her pursuit of wanting to prove herself against the top players in the world.
