Funmi Fadoju is ready for the world to see a 'new era' of English netball on their journey to reclaim the Commonwealth Games crown.

Team England soared to glittering gold on the Gold Coast but narrowly missed out on the podium four years later in Birmingham, falling to New Zealand in the bronze medal match.

Since then, the Vitality Roses have transformed into a fresh and new-look team, with a crop of young talent helping them to a second place finish at the 2023 Netball World Cup and rising to second in the Netball World rankings for only the third time in their history in 2024.

Rising star Fadoju is just one of those exciting new talents and the defender admitted that the perfect way to show off their recent success will be by reclaiming Commonwealth gold at Glasgow 2026.

"This is a new era of England netball and I think we have the chance to show people something different," she said.

"We're a team that have beaten most of the people in the top rankings and have the possibility to do it again at the next Commonwealth Games.

"We are a group of young, exciting and talented young players that have never been seen before, alongside our usual experience and names like Helen Housby, and that's really different as no one knows what to expect.

"Having the likes of Lois Pearson and Jess Shaw coming into our ranks, people are till trying to figure out how to play against them which is great."

The Vitality Roses spent the second half of 2024 tearing up the international circuit, with series victories against Australia and New Zealand and a opening game win over Jamaica.

Fadoju, 22, picked up a staggering three Player of the Match performances across the three series, showcasing how she is one of the best young defenders currently in netball.

It's consistent progress that shows England are continually challenging the top nations in the world and is a significant nod towards Fadoju's dream of a possible second Commonwealth Games title in 2026.

She said: "We've been able to play against some of the top countries in the world and were able to get success against every single one of them which is a big milestone by itself.

"In the Australian series, we were able to beat them on their home soil for the third time in our history which was a big thing for us.

"Then the New Zealand series, we were able to win that in the first two matches which is something we've never been able to do before.

"We're learning from every single one of these tours and have been growing as a team.

"Yes, we didn't come back from the Horizon Series against Jamaica with the win but we learnt so much."

The goal defender and goal keeper made her debut for the Roses against Uganda in October 2022, having narrowly missed out on a place in the Birmingham 2022 squad that summer. She instead acted as a reserve for the team that finished fourth on home soil.

But with the announcement of Glasgow 2026 and netball's inclusion as one of the sports, Fadoju finally has the chance to put her work into practice and noted her relief in once again having a Games to aim for.

"There was so much instant relief in that announcement," she added. "I finally have that aim to reach and I can't wait to hopefully get this opportunity and make the most of it.

"The Gold Coast Games are what pushed me along and gave me the ambition to go to a Commonwealth Games and win gold again.

"Everyone knows that the margin between the top teams has closed so much in the last couple of months and every team has the potential to go for gold in close percentages and that what we're all really excited about."

Be part of the build-up to the Games and sign up to 'Destination Glasgow' at https://teamengland.org/