Grieving Neville gives England strength

England coach Tracey Neville has returned to oversee her first Netball World Cup match since the untimely death of her father.

England head coach Tracey Neville (C) and her team

A minute's silence has been observed at the Netball World Cup in memory of Tracey Neville's father. (AAP)

England's netball team say coach Tracey Neville's incredible bravery in dealing with her father's sudden death has inspired them to aim high at the World Cup.

An emotional Neville re-emerged courtside on Saturday to oversee her squad edge world No.4 Jamaica 54-50 in their second pool match at Sydney's Olympic Park.

Her appearance came less than a day after Neville Neville, also the father of former England and Manchester United footballers Gary and Phil, died after suffering a heart attack on arrival in Australia.

The 65-year-old had travelled with his wife Jill to watch his daughter, a former 81-Test star, coach her first world titles.

Gary and Phil Neville are also in Sydney, having flown from the UK to be by his side at St Vincent's Hospital.

The events of the previous 24 hours were still visibly raw as Neville stood arm in arm on the court with England coaching staff for a minute's silence observed in her father's memory.

Wiping away tears, she gave an acknowledging wave to the crowd before retreating to the sidelines for the match.

The tragedy has come as a blow to England, who are ranked third in the world and are seen as a threat to Australia's title defence.

But captain Geva Mentor said Neville's courage in continuing to coach the side had seeped through the team and inspired them to push harder.

"It's an unbelievable situation to be in, and I think it's really brought us all together and a lot closer," Mentor said.

"The Neville family are so influential and Neville Neville just holds that family together.

"Tracey has been really tough and really strong and she's really pushed that strength over to us as a team.

"Emotions are obviously out there but to have a focus of netball and wanting to achieve and build throughout this tournament has been a really good distraction."

The squad wore black armbands for the game in an impressive showing that lifted them to the top of Pool B, meaning they will find themselves in a second-phase pool with either world No.1 Australia or second-ranked New Zealand.

"We want to do it not just for her and her family but also for ourselves," Mentor said.

"There's opportunities that we've got to take and make the most of.

"Life is precious and life is short. So you've definitely got to make the most of everything out there."

Tributes have been rolling in for Neville Neville, a former league cricketer and football agent who was close friends with Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham.

Beckham posted a touching tribute on Instagram, while Manchester United also tweeted their condolences.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world