After eight seasons in the Netball Super League — including a Grand Final win with Loughborough Lightning in her final season — Fran Williams moved to Australia to join West Coast Fever at 25. Playing in the Suncorp Super Netball league, widely regarded as the strongest domestic competition in the world, has given the Rose invaluable experience, with Fever finishing third and second since she arrived.
Despite close friendships with her England teammates, Williams admits coming back for national camps brings nerves and a touch of FOMO. “I always say coming back in you feel a bit nervous, but absolutely nothing changes in terms of those connections and relationships that we’ve built over the years and I’m so grateful for the friendships I’ve made within the Roses environment,” she said.
“You do spend so much time together, travelling away, tough days, great days and I think it forges some great, great friendships and those remain whether I’m playing in Australia or not. That gives me so much confidence coming back into the environment that the respect and love we still have for each other is always still there.
“I definitely get ‘FOMO’. I was back a bit later into the training camps here because I was playing over in Suncorp Super Netball in the Grand Final with Fever, so I know they got to work a little bit earlier than me. But yeah, as soon as you come straight back in, everything naturally falls back in.
“Being able to represent your country and play for England is one of the biggest privileges and getting to do it in a sport I absolutely adore with teammates that inspire me all the time, there’s no greater honour so it’s never a hard decision to come back.”
Lessons learned from down under
Australia sit comfortably at the top of the world rankings, ahead of New Zealand by nine rating points, with Jamaica and England close behind. The Diamonds’ depth and professional setup have made them a benchmark for elite standards.
For Williams, the full-time professional environment in the SSN has been transformative. “Their training environment is what I have learnt from, because it’s full-time professional, the support that they get out there, the intensity, the standards are really high,” she said. “It’s something that I like to really champion when I come back into the Roses and ensure that we are training at that world standard gold medal winning level every single session in everything we do.
“Whether that be an on-court netball session to the gym, to how we’re recovering, to how we’re approaching video analysis I think that’s the kind of thing that you learn from being in that professional full-time environment out there. They’re things I feel really passionately about us more than being capable of doing within Roses, and the staff are so on board with that as well.
“Every team can beat anyone on their given day. People have the talent and capability now within their squads to compete with the world’s best. I think for us it’s just about showing up more consistently and producing those world-winning performances match after match.
“We are a top nation, so it’s about instilling that belief in everyone and demystifying those potential beliefs around other teams being at levels that we’re not capable of, because I just don’t think that’s the case.”
Image: Fran Williams captained England during their 2023 World Cup campaign that saw England take silver behind Australia
Video caption: With 30 seconds on the clock, Fran Williams steps in with a huge interception to grant Eleanor Cardwell the buzzer-beater shot in the third quarter during the game against South Africa in 2023
Video caption: Fran Williams was named Player of the Match for her last Loughborough Lightning game where they beat London Pulse in the NSL 2023 Grand Final
Vitality Red Roses take on New Zealand in a three-match series, live on Sky Sports.
Vitality Netball International Series schedule vs New Zealand
– Saturday November 15: Copper Box Arena, London — England vs New Zealand, 5pm
– Sunday November 16: Copper Box Arena, London — England vs New Zealand, 3pm
– Wednesday November 19: AO Arena, Manchester — England vs New Zealand, 7pm
Vitality Netball Horizon Series schedule in Jamaica
– Saturday December 6: National Indoor Sports Centre, Kingston, Jamaica — Jamaica vs England, TBC
– Sunday December 7: National Indoor Sports Centre, Kingston, Jamaica — Jamaica vs England, TBC
– Saturday December 13: Copper Box Arena, London — England vs Jamaica, 2.15pm
– Sunday December 14: Copper Box Arena, London — England vs Jamaica, 2pm
Times subject to slight change due to broadcast requirements.