I’ve struggled to bring myself to write this as it’s just hard to find the words and believe it’s real. Emma was an exceptional human being and netball player, and I am so incredibly sorry for her family and friends.

I met Emma when I was about 12 when she came and coached netball at my school. She quickly became something of an idol for me and I’m sure others in my team would share that thought. Emma took me under her wing and became my mentor – I joined her club (SAS at the time) and she drove me to trials in Surrey and Essex to make sure I had every opportunity I could over my school years. After university she reached out to me asking me to play at her new club, Harpenden, and we became teammates and friends.

She has been so so important to mine and my sister’s lives and how we grew up. My whole family are so fond of her because she played such an instrumental role in our teenage years and made sure we had opportunities to succeed and helped us when we didn’t. At one point I was being trained by or playing with Emma 4-5 times a week between school and club netball, so she became really important to my mindset and routine and my whole family agrees she is one of the key figures in influencing the person I am now.

I am heartbroken for her family and for everyone that knew her, but will never stop being grateful for having her in my life.

My idol, mentor, teammate and friend❤️💙