Netball Super League | The First Interview: Pitman and Pulse ready to stake their claim

Chelsea Pitman is back: back in the UK, back with the Vitality Roses and back with buddy Jade Clarke.

The 34-year-old spent last season as a training partner with champions West Coast Fever in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball but has returned to the Vitality Netball Superleague with London Pulse having represented Manchester Thunder in 2015.

Australian-born Pitman won Commonwealth Games gold with the Vitality Roses in 2018 alongside her former Adelaide Thunderbirds teammate Clarke and is hoping to reignite her international career having been named in Jess Thirlby’s squad for the upcoming Uganda series.

Pitman said: “I’ve never shied away from having conversations with Jess and England, saying I want to be back in the squad and what do you need to see from me?

“All I can control is that I’m fit and ready and doing my best for London Pulse and if selection comes from that then that’s even better.

“That was definitely part of the decision to come over here and be around the environment a bit more and get the opportunity to be a part of it.

💗🖤💗🖤 and just like that, I can finally say I’m a London Pulse player. I cannot wait to get started with this team. 2023, you’re looking 👌🏼 😍 💗🖤 https://t.co/a605w7lEck

— Chelsea Pitman (@ChelseaPitman) September 16, 2022

“I’m definitely looking forward to playing with Jade Clarke again because we played together for the Thunderbirds a few years ago and also during my whole England Roses journey.”

Pulse finished third in the VNSL table last season before losing to eventual runners-up Loughborough Lightning in the semi-finals and Pitman insists she would not have agreed to join Sam Bird’s side unless she thought they were capable of claiming the title.

“I want a premiership – anyone that knows me knows that is what I always aim for and I also want to be able to leave a bit of a legacy behind,” she explained.

“Looking at London Pulse and who they had already signed and were retaining, it was a perfect fit for what I want to achieve, not just in terms of success but being able to learn off the young girls and for them to help me feel young.

An abundance of exciting @EnglandNetball Roses squads announced this morning and we are so proud to see London Pulse represented in each of them (7 athletes in total)

First up the Uganda Series – Congrats to Ellie, Liv, Chelsea, Zara & Funmi 💗🖤

1/3 pic.twitter.com/ZfeMMpEoly

— London Pulse Netball 🇺🇦 (@Pulse_Netball) September 20, 2022

“But also to be able to share my experience with them and help them form and adapt a different style of netball.”

As she heads into the back end of her career, Pitman admits passing on her expertise to exciting star defender Funmi Fadoju as well as the likes of Olivia Tchine, Zara Everitt and Ellie Rattu, who have all been called up for the Uganda series too, was a big factor in making the move.

The experienced mid-courter is also keen to learn new tricks from her young colleagues but is quick to point out she will not be following suit in all areas.

💎 @Pulse_Netball‘s squad for #VNSL2023 is locked in, and one of their diamonds is ready to shine even brighter.@FadojuFunmi is back for another season and is embracing no longer being an underdog.

— Vitality Netball Superleague (@NetballSL) September 16, 2022

Pitman added: “I absolutely love having those opportunities. That’s going to be the amazing thing about being with London Pulse is that they are a young group of girls.

“I’m not going to be just teaching them stuff, they are going to be teaching me things. The excitement that they will have will breathe new life into me.

“I can’t wait to officially meet everyone and get started. It will be good but I’m going to feel quite old at times – I’m not getting a TikTok account anytime soon!

“It’s going to be great, Jade is on the older end of it too, so we will just be bringing the team average up a bit.”

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