AUSTRALIAN coach Elissa Kent is joining the Netball Northern Ireland squad travelling to Glasgow to compete in the inaugural Celtic Cup at the Emirates Arena on November 7-10.
Elissa, currently working as a Netball Development Coach within the Victoria Institute of Sport pathway and on the GEN32 programme, is coming to the UK to not only offer support to the NI Warrior management team, but to continue her own professional development in an international setting outside Australia, gaining exposure to European and African playing styles.
Sheonah Forbes, NI Warriors Head Coach, said: “We are looking forward to travelling to Glasgow to play in the inaugural Celtic Cup, to compete against our home nation counterparts, as well as the Zimbabwe Gems.
“Not having played against Wales or Scotland since the World Cup qualifiers in 2022, we are excited to get the opportunity to show our growth and reignite the home nation rivalry. The opportunity to play international netball against a variety of styles including the Zimbabwe Gems is key in our aim to compete in pinnacle events on the world stage.
“This is an exciting prospect for the Warrior athletes and our management team, to have Elissa join us will enable our group to not only showcase our style and culture for her to experience, but it will also support our growth as she will be tasked to bring positive challenge to the group.
“Her role will focus on individual focus areas pre competition and leading a unit area during match fixtures. Elissa’s attention to detail ensures we are counteracting the opposition and contributing to a positive challenging environment within the coaching team. Having known Elissa around the netball circuit I cannot wait to see her thrive as part of the Warriors.”
Elissa responded: “I am really excited to work with Sheonah, someone I have great respect for and have been able to build a relationship with since crossing paths at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
“I’m keen to share my own perspective and provide a different voice to the Northern Ireland Warriors, whilst also learning and evolving through exposure a different way of doing things. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with Northern Ireland and Sheonah with the amazing support of Gen32, VIS and Netball Australia. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, at the pre camp training and the Celtic Cup in Glasgow.”
Elissa Kent
Karen Rollo, Chief Executive, Netball NI, added: “It is great to be able to invite Elissa along to this event to support our Warriors and Management team. Sheonah and Elissa have been keen to work together, support one another and push each other forward in their roles.
“The support of the GEN32 programme at the Victorian Institute of Sport, has enabled us to secure this time for Elissa to come to the UK and work with us. High performance coaching can be a lonely and challenging place, we are delighted to facilitate this learning experience for Elissa and are looking forward to developing the relationship with the VIS.”
Elissa will be joining the Warriors in camp ahead of the Celtic Cup then spending some time within England before joining the squad in Glasgow for the competition.
Buy tickets to the Celtic Cup here
Warriors Squad:
| Name | Club/Franchise | Court Area |
| Ana Mulholland | Crumlin Community NC | Centre Court |
| Ciara Crosbie | Tameside NC | Circle Attack |
| Emma Magee | The Downs NC | Circle Attack |
| Evelyn McCagherty | Weston Park Blades | Centre Court |
| Fionnuala Toner | Belfast Ladies NC | Circle Defence |
| Frances Keenan | Belfast Ladies NC | Centre Court |
| Georgie McGrath | Kingsway NC | Circle Attack |
| Lauren Walshe | Belfast Ladies NC | Circle Defence |
| Maria McCann | Belfast Ladies NC | Circle Defence |
| Michelle Magee | Birmingham Panthers NSL | Circle Defence |
| Niamh Cooper | Nottingham Forest NSL | Centre Court |
| Orla McGeough | Tameside NC | Centre Court |
| Orlaith Rogers | Leeds Rhinos U23 | Circle Attack |
| Rosa McCloskey | Kingsway NC | Circle Attack |
Head Coach: Sheonah Forbes
Assistant Coach: Debbie Bleakley
Assistant Coach: Elissa Kent
Team Manager: Beth Healy
Physio: Sinead Chambers
Performance Analyst: Lauren Webb
If you would like to show your support for the NI Warriors, please donate here.
