Eboni Usoro-Brown’s life is one lived in three parts: mother, solicitor and professional netball player.
It is a juggling act which makes the task of keeping the prodigious Australian attackers out of the England goal in the Quad Series final at London’s Copper Box Arena on Wednesday night seem relatively straightforward.
Her daughter Savannah was born in August 2020 in a brief respite from Covid lockdowns and she also works full-time in commercial litigation for DAC Beachcroft as well as somehow finding the time to force her way back into Jess Thirlby’s England squad.
The ultimate multi-tasker admits there are times when it can be “pretty full-on” and yet she is relishing all three opportunities.
Her England recall came in the warm-up series against Jamaica before being named for the Quad Series. Following a dramatic 48-48 draw with Australia on Tuesday - courtesy of a last-minute goal by Helen Housby - hosts England meet the Aussies in the final on Wednesday.
Of being back in the international fold, Usoro-Brown said: “I love it. Coming back after a baby, I didn’t realise that possibility. To get the call-up, I was humbled.”
For her, the goosebump moment was first singing the national anthem arm in arm with her teammates, and her daughter has taken to watching her open-mouthed in that exact position on the TV from home.
While Usoro-Brown never sought out advice on the possibility of juggling motherhood and elite sport, she found herself inspired by the likes of Serena Williams, Jessica Ennis-Hill and rower Helen Glover.
“It helps when you’ve got so many female role models and see how they’re doing and playing to an exceptional standard,” she said. “The last six to nine months maybe there’s been more conversation about motherhood and fertility. I hope that conversation becomes more commonplace.”
The journey to get to this point has been arduous. From her husband JK (John-King) not being allowed into scans to only being admitted for the labour when his wife was taken to the delivery suite. Not to mention the journey to get back to full-time work as well as fitness as a netball athlete.
“I worked so hard away from the court in terms of in the gym and trying to refine my court craft and technical skills,” she said. “I put my mind and body through their paces. I’m more relieved than anything that the hard work paid off.”
The list of thank yous are to her husband and mother as well as her law firm and England Netball, and the mid-term target is to be part of the team for the defence of the Commonwealth Games gold medal she helped win in Australia four years ago.
Amid it all, parenting she says has perhaps unsurprisingly been “the best chapter of my life”, although being in a Covid bubble camp currently has proved a lengthy spell away from Savannah.
Already she has proved adept at throwing in the ball pit at home, although has not mastered the catching side of things.
A second stab at both netball and the legal world has enabled Usoro-Brown to appreciate both more.
“I’m very fortunate to have 100 caps, to have won the Commonwealth Games and done most of the things in my career so, if I retire now, I won’t feel unfulfilled,” she said. “But I still want to contribute and have the opportunity to contribute.
“And I literally love my work and I know lawyers aren’t meant to say that. Even now at camp I’ve been logging onto bits and pieces and it’s great to get your head around something really engaging and stimulating.”
Next on the list is a trip to Australia to further her playing career between now and the Commonwealth Games. The hope is Australia will have been defeated once more before then.
