Gabby Marshall is set to make her first appearance in front of fans in a pre-season friendly against Loughborough next Saturday for Severn Stars after making a move to the Worcestershire based side.
Experienced Superleague player Marshall, who spent four seasons with Saracens Mavericks and has represented England at Under 17, Under 19, Under 21 and senior level joined Stars in October 2022.
The British Centre sustained a fractured foot during the 2019 Vitality Netball Super League season which ruled her out for several months, but this did not stop her from returning back to the club.
Marshall has been looking forward to the new season with her new club. She described her move as “very fortunate” and “blessed.”
“It’s been amazing so far, the girls are all really friendly, a lovely bunch, they’ve made me feel very welcome.
“I’m very excited, it’s been such a great time for me, I’ve been so fortunate to meet so many people across franchise and feel so blessed that I’ve been really welcomed in by the Severn Stars team.”
The 25-year-old went on to talk about how “gelling” into a new team with new faces has been not as “challenging” as she thought it was going to be.
“It’s really important we spend that time both on and off court getting to know each other because we need to fast track those connections”
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“We had a team building day which was great fun and arranged some things ourselves, going for coffee after training, we had a fancy-dress night which was cool, a really nice bunch of girls and trying to build those relationships ahead of the season.”
Marshall’s former Saracens Mavericks player, Jo Trip, who retired at the end of the 2021 season was appointed Star’s new head coach for the 2023 season. Trip spent last season working as a technical coach with Loughborough Lightning before her move.
The English centre half has praised her head coach in developing the team further with a lot of new faces joining into the team this season.
“Jo’s done a fantastic job, it’s her first gig as a head coach, she’s doing a fantastic job in blending the different experiences.”
Stars have announced an exciting squad that combines youth and experience as they bid to make their mark this season. With Marshall being a well-known experienced player herself, she praises how it has been working with the under 21s to develop the team building further.
“As a senior player, we’re all very open to feedback from anybody regardless of your experience so it’s been a fantastic environment, everyone’s willing to step up and contribute, Jo’s done a really good job in fostering that.”
The brand-new constructed team for the Stars face last season’s runners up Loughborough Lightning for their upcoming pre-season friendly.
Marshall said: “We had a pre-season friendly before Christmas against two men’s teams and we’ve got a couple of training matches so it’s nice to build those combinations and getting that match fitness as the season’s coming very quickly now.”
Marshall is keen to play a “crucial” part within the team and is looking forward to kick starting the season off with this new franchise.
“I’m very excited, it’s been such a great time for me, I’ve been so fortunate to meet so many people across franchise and feel so blessed that I’ve been really welcomed in by the Severn Stars team. So, for me it is exciting that I can start contributing and become part of the team.”
Severn Stars will face Loughborough Lightning on Saturday 21st of January 2023 at the University of Worcester Arena.
