Scottish Thistles vow to put on unforgettable performance

Team Scotland’s national netball stars have issued a rallying cry to fans to roar them on to glory at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. 

The Scottish Thistles have vowed to give the home crowd an unforgettable show of strength as they go into pitched battle against their heavyweight rivals from across the commonwealth. 

Thistles Vice-Captain Hannah Grant said any newcomers to watching the game will be shocked at how high-octane a spectacle the modern game is and it’s faster and fiercer than ever. 

She said:“I want as many people to come along and see us as possible even if they have never watched netball before. World netball is as close a call as it has ever been so it’s extremely competitive. People will get blown away.

“Anyone who comes to a live match for the first time are shocked at how fierce, fast and physically strong the game is.”

Before every game the team sing the national anthem Flower of Scotland in the changing room to prime them for the court. 

Hannah, 26,  said: “We are a proud Scottish team and before we go out we look in each others’ eyes and we know we are doing it for the right reasons. We will give our all for the Scottish fans. They are the best in the world.”

The national team is sitting tenth in the world but they are determined the Commonwealth Games will push them up the rankings. 

The talented mid-court player said:”We are aiming for a lot higher and to really push it at this games to put Scotland on the map.”

In their first match this Saturday (July 25) they will be pitted against New Zealand’s Silver Ferns, currently ranked number two. 

Team Scotland's netball team's dream is to hold their own against the Australian champions later in the Games.  

It a Commonwealth Games’ debut for Hannah, a bio-medical scientist from East Renfrewshire, and she is primed having played for Australia’s New South Wales Premier League for a year. 

She is hoping to use some of the tactics she learned down under to outdo the Australians on Scottish soil. 

With 20 million women and girls playing netball internationally it is the largest female team participation sport in the world and it’s about to take centre stage in the Glasgow’s 2026 Commonwealth Games. 

More than 30,000 people play netball in Scotland alone and surges in junior and grassroots participation here have been attributed in large part to the growing profile of the Scottish Thistles. 

The cream of the sport are gathering in Scotland and the Thistles can are incredibly proud their home nation will host their heroines. 

Netball’s international squads have expressed their gratitude after Glasgow stepped in to save the games when Australia’s state of Victoria pulled out in 2023 due to escalating costs. 

The remodelled games, paid for with no public funding, has earmarked netball as one of its marquee sports. 

Hannah said: “The games are massive for netball which is why we were so grateful Glasgow 2026 was going ahead. We were so relieved, athletes from across the world felt the same. We have worked so had for this and we are so proud to welcome so many elite athletes to Scotland.” 

The sport is unrecognisable from when began as women’s basketball in the early 19th century as a game to keep young ladies fit and prepare them for marriage and motherhood. 

It was played in long skirts and modest high-necked blouses and and “rough and tumble” was forbidden. 

Some critics did warn it could prove an undesirable distraction from “womanly chores”. 

Cut to today and the Victorians would be scandalised watching the game - the mid-air clashes and sweat-lashed determination of women of colossal athleticism and grit.  

Iona Christian, 28, an illustrator and mother of two-year-old son Lawrie has 33 caps and warns opponents that the Thistles are as tough as their name would suggest . 

She said: “A thistle is an extremely resilient, prickly flower, known for thriving in harsh conditions and when you come up against a Thistle on a netball court it’s never going to be an easy battle."

The mid-court player is originally from Stockport but has chosen to play for Team Scotland through the connection of her Glaswegian father Ross. 

She said: “To represent Scotland is such an honour and for it to be on home ground is just such a unique experience. My dad is a loud and proud Scotsman and he will be waving his Saltire from the stands.”  

Thistles Captain Emily Nicholl says it will be an emotional experience on Thursday (July 23)  when she walks with Team Scotland in the athletes’ parade of 74 nations at the games’ opening ceremony in the city’s Hydro attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla. 

Emily, 32, is a 61-cap veteran of two Commonwealth Games who combines the demands of her sport with a full-time job as solicitor. 

A goal defence, she is renowned for her bulwark blocking of opponents. 

She said: “I always describe how I play as ‘beast mode’.  Off the court, I wouldn’t think I’m that aggressive a person but as soon as I get onto that court, the adrenalin does take over. I have this insane need to hunt the ball down and to take the opponent out of the game. I just love that feeling.

“I love the concept of leading the team into battle and if you have seen me play I roar on court, I shout and punch the air. I thrive on the pressure.”

Legacy is at the forefront of what drives the women who make up the Thistles. 

Edinburgh’s Lexy Gillies, 20, knows they are role models for tomorrow’s young women. 

The sports degree student was drawn from a young age not only to the game but the camaraderie of the sport. 

In netball you must pass or shoot the ball within three seconds of catching it so the seven players must work as a tight unit.  

“My best friends all play netball, it’s a game that creates a bond and there is a lovely culture particularly within the Thistles. We are connected on and off the court. I think we show what can be achieved if you work hard enough as a team.”

She hopes that the team’s legacy will inspire the next generations of young girls not just to play but to strive to be confident and powerful. 

The 5ft 11in mid-court player believes netball can help young girls embrace their unique body image given the diverse range of shapes and sizes needed on a netball court. 

Lexie said: “I was never teased about being tall but there was a pressure to be skinny and petite. Being strong and being fit has helped me feel confident in myself. I want to be part of inspiring the next generation to get involved in sport. 

“Strong is the new pretty.”