The Isle of Man under-21 netball squad faces one of their toughest challenges since joining the international arena in 2018 in Wales next week, when they take on five other countries for a place in the World Youth Cup tournament.
Starting on Tuesday, September 24, the Manx side will face teams from UAE, Wales, Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The top three countries will secure a place in the finals in Gibraltar next year.
The squad are eager to compete and test themselves against their strong opponents, many of whom play for UK Super League franchises.
Team manager Deb Evans said: ‘Whilst the players admit there are more than a few nerves being felt, morale among the squad is high.
‘The coaching and management team are confident that the island squad will bring their best performances to the court.
‘The opportunity to play in such a tournament only comes around every four years, and to play against such world-class opposition, means we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
‘We couldn’t be prouder of the way the players have risen to the challenge.’
All matches will take place at the House of Sport in Cardiff. Matches played on Tuesday and Wednesday will be available to view on the Europe Netball’s YouTube channel. Matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be lived streamed to the same channel.
Isle of Man match schedule:
Tuesday, September 24: IoM v UAE – 5pm
Wednesday, September 25: IoM v Wales – 5pm
Friday, September 27: IoM v Scotland – 7pm
Saturday, September 28: IoM v Republic of Ireland – 4pm
Sunday, September 29: IoM v Northern Ireland – 10am
Isle of Man squad: Amaline Batty, Kate Doran, Maddie Butterworth, Mairi Harrison, Holly Charmer, Annabel Kneale, Becca Cooke, Claire Mason, Ella Crowe, Kenzie Pizzey, Winnie Davies and Niamh Skillicorn.