- England are set to take on South Africa in a three-match netball series
- Housby, 28, loves being a role model to the next generation of netball players
- She has become the latest cover star in the Sky Sports Editions series
England netball star Helen Housby is relishing her role model status for women’s sport as she became the latest athlete to get a Sky Sports Editions cover shoot.
Housby, 28, has represented the Roses for almost a decade and famous scored the winning point in the last second when England beat Australia to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
They are set to take on South Africa in the three-match Vitality Netball International Series, with the first encounter taking place in Manchester on Tuesday night.
Housby, an avid Manchester United fan, grew up idolising David Beckham but now finds herself inspiring the next generation following the exponential growth in the popularity of women’s sport.
‘If you’d told me that’s what I was going to be when I was a young girl, I would have been beside myself,’ Housby told Sky Sports about her role model status.
England netball star Helen Housby has become the latest cover star for Sky Sports Editions
Housby (left) has represented England for almost a decade and is pictured at the World Cup
Housby is an avid Manchester United fan and is pictured on an Old Trafford visit in 2019
She grew up idolising David Beckham but is now proud to inspire the next generation herself
‘Growing up, a lot of my role models were men, because that’s who I saw on the TV. I love football and I think we always saw the men getting the awards and being in the papers – that kind of thing.
‘Now that female sport is on the rise and women are getting great contracts, and they’re in the news and winning awards.
‘It feels super special to know that you are a role model for younger girls, and I certainly wish I could have had more female role models growing up. So I think it’s brilliant.’
Housby has noticed the change at both club level with New South Wales Swifts in Australia and with her country.
‘When I’m out at Swifts, our general managers and CEOs are now starting to become female more often than male, and it’s the same across England Netball,’ she said.
‘Having that representation, not just on the court, but off it in high-value roles, is really special.
‘We love to see women at any level of an organisation.’
Using three words to describe her personality – ‘energetic, competitive and loving’ – Sky’s fashion gurus styled Housby in a vivid red skirt and navy blazer as she posed with a retro netball.
Housby pictured for Sky Sports Editions as she spoke about her love of being a role model
Housby received the full photoshoot treatment as she featured on the Editions front cover
Episode three of Sky Sports Editions is available to watch on Sky Sports YouTube
