Emily Nicholl hasn’t disclosed this to her teammates, but she has a funny feeling that Scotland’s netball team could be on the verge of having the tournament of their lives.
The Scottish Thistles, as the Scottish netball squad is known, heads into Glasgow 2026 as one of the underdog teams. Ranked tenth in the world and with four higher-ranked teams in their group, the Scots’ chances of progressing to the medal matches, on paper at least, seem slim. But Nicholl, who will captain the Scottish Thistles at Glasgow 2026, has a sneaky suspicion that her 12-woman squad could spring a few upsets over the coming days.
"I've not told the girls this, but I have a tingling feeling that something special is going to happen for us at this Games,” the 32-year-old from Lanarkshire says.
“We know our game plan, we know what we're going to come up against so we are absolutely ready. Our tagline for this Commonwealth Games is that we want to be everyone's best friend off the court but we want to be feared when we get onto the court and I absolutely think this group has the ability to do that.
“The Thistles have never finished higher than ninth at the Commonwealth Games so we're absolutely looking to make history as a group by bettering that in Glasgow. And I definitely think we've got the capability to do that.”
Glasgow 2026 will be Nicholl’s third Commonwealth Games having made her debut in Gold Coast in 2018. After a decade playing international netball, Nicholl is one of the squads’ longest serving players - she’s the most capped player with 61 Scotland appearances under her belt - and she’s aware of how vital experience can be at a major event like the Commonwealth Games. But with five of Scotland’s players making their Commonwealth Games debut at Glasgow 2026, there’s also youth in the squad and this blend will, believes Nicholl, contribute to a strong showing from the Thistles, who will face New Zealand, Jamaica, Wales, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda in the group stages.
“When I saw Scotland’s team list for this Games, it put a big smile on my face - I’m so excited by the squad,” she says.
“The younger ones drive me nuts, and I'm sure I drive them nuts when I'm telling them where they need to be and what kit they have to wear and so they probably don’t realise how much they mean to me and how much they inspire me day-to-day.
“I actually think it's the inexperienced players who bring the energy to the group - they really remind you why it is so special to be part of Team Scotland.
“Every single player in this group has had exposure to all the different styles of netball that we're going to play against in Glasgow and I’m confident that, as a team, we’ll be able to deal with the pressure.”
For Nicholl, her third Commonwealth Games has a distinctly different feel to her previous outings. Since making her Games debut in 2018, she’s been through much career-wise, including a stint in Australia playing for Panthers Netball in the NSW Premier League. And so while she’s a more experience player than on her debut at Gold Coast 2018, pulling on the Scottish dress has lost none of the thrill for her.
“It’s surreal being at my third Commonwealth Games, and it feels really special,” she says.
"I've been in the team ten years and I've had a lot of phone calls about selections but waiting for the phone call for this one was definitely up there with the most nerve-wracking times I've had.
“I have a real sense of pride being at my third Commonwealth Games because it's been such a journey. So I’m really excited about this one.”
