The last time Iona Christian played in a Netball World Cup, she was two-and-a-half months pregnant.
She would, she admits, love to be at the next one with her son in tow but there’s much work to be done before Christian and her Scottish Thistles teammates can start planning a trip to Sydney for next summer's tournament.
On Friday, Christian and her compatriots head into the World Cup Qualifiers tipped to secure their spot at the 2027 Netball World Cup but the squad is well aware their status as favourites in this four-team event means little unless they actually prove it on the court.
Over three intense days, Scotland will face Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland at East Kilbride’s Playsport Arena and while the home crowd will, hopes Christian, play a significant part in ensuring the Scottish side get the result they want, the 28-year-old wing attack knows the 12-woman squad must embrace the pressure that rests upon their shoulders. She is, though, in little doubt that she and her compatriots are well-equipped to cope.
“The World Cup next year is where we want to be and so we just need to make sure we don't get complacent or take our foot off the pedal," she says.
"Two teams will qualify but we want to win all our games - and that's what we're planning on doing. With netball not being included in the Olympics, we really don't want to miss out on a huge event like the World Cup.”
Christian and her teammates head into these qualifiers hoping to continue the momentum they created at last month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, at which they achieved Scotland’s highest-ever finish in the netball tournament of eighth place.
Such a strong showing from the Scots was encouraging, but, insists Christian, there remains plenty of room for improvement, with that push beginning next weekend.
“Glasgow 2026 was absolutely insane - it was the biggest crowd that most of us had ever played in front of and there was a sea of saltires in the stands, so it was awesome,” she says.
“To achieve our best ever finish at Commonwealth Games was pretty cool but I still think there's a lot more to come from this team.
“We’ve got a very similar squad for World Cup qualifiers so I think that stands us in really good stead to build upon Glasgow and in the past few weeks, we’ve been honing our style to make sure we put out even better performances next weekend than we did a few weeks ago in Glasgow.”
Christian had more of an involvement in Glasgow 2026 than merely as an athlete, though. As a freelance illustrator, she played a part in designing the Scottish Thistles netball kit, artwork for a poster and a souvenir ball and having both her careers overlap in this way was a particular highlight for the Penrith-based Scot.
“It was really cool to work with Team Scotland and it was great because those paths of athlete and illustrator don't often cross," she says.
"And it's made me realise that, actually, there might be the opportunity for overlaps again, so I would love to do more of that in the future. It's been really cool to use my creative career alongside my sporting career.”
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The third strand of Christian’s life, alongside her illustrating and netball is, of course, her role as a mum. With her son, Lawrie, now two-and-a-half, Christian, who plays her club netball for Nottingham Forrest Netball, admits her life is a constant juggle but having him reach an age at which he can be involved in her sporting life has been, she says, a joy.
And so for all the challenges that combining being a parent and an elite athlete presents, Christian wouldn’t have it any other way and while returning to sport hasn’t always been easy, the target of competing at another Netball World Cup, this time as a mum, makes it easy to remain motivated.
“Lawrie was in Glasgow watching the Commonwealth Games and he loved it - and sometimes he still wakes up in the morning shouting ‘Let's go Scotland’,” she says.
“When I fell pregnant, I knew I didn't want having a family to stop me playing netball and vice versa but when I saw the physical changes pregnancy was having on my body, I realised I was going to have to work very hard to get back to netball. And now, having a little human to run around after is life-changing.
“It's definitely a juggle but I'm very fortunate that I've got good people around me and it's nice that Lawrie's at an age that he knows what I do and he can be in and around the teams.
“Being pregnant at the 2023 World Cup feels like a lifetime ago now so it would definitely be great to be at another one next year.”
