| Francesca Williams | |
| Fullname: | Francesca Williams |
| Birth Date: | 23 December 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Richmond, London, England |
| Height: | 184frac=2NaNfrac=2 |
| School: | Kendrick School Reading Blue Coat School |
| University: | University of Birmingham |
| Relatives: | Jack Williams, Imogen Williams |
| Positions: | GD, WD, GK |
| Clubyears1: | 2016–2018 |
| Clubteam1: | Surrey Storm |
| Clubyears2: | 2018–2021 |
| Clubteam2: | Wasps Netball |
| Clubyears3: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubyears4: | 2024- |
| Clubteam4: | West Coast Fever |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018– |
| Nationalcaps1: | 43 |
Francesca Williams (born 23 December 1997) is an English international netballer who currently plays for West Coast Fever in Suncorp Super Netball.
Williams started her career as part of the Surrey Storm set up, moving to Wasps Netball in 2018, with the team winning the Superleague Grand Final in her first year.[1] She moved to Loughborough Lightning in 2022.[2] Williams had a standout year with Lightning in 2023, winning her second Superleague title and voted Fan's Player of the Season.[3]
After a strong domestic and international season, Williams signed for the West Coast Fever for the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season.[4]
Williams came through the England Netball pathway and was captain of the England under-21 team.[5] She made her senior debut for the England Roses in November 2018 against Uganda.[6] [7] Williams made an instant impression in the national side and was later selected in England's 12-woman squad for the January 2019 Quad Series and the 2019 Netball World Cup, where the team finished third.[8] [9]
She was not selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games but returned to the side in 2023 as part of the England Roses team who achieved their first ever World Cup Silver Medal in Cape Town.[10] In the semi-final against New Zealand, Williams secured the vital intercept that helped the Roses through to their first ever World Cup Final. Later that year she was appointed Captain for a test series against South Africa.[11]
Williams started playing netball in her last year of primary school, then joined Woodley Netball Club. Before moving to Australia she served as Player Chair for England's Netball Players Association (NPA) and is an advocate for NetballHer, an England netball campaign advocating for women's health issues. She has a degree in Economics.[12]