Netball World Cup 2019: Pro contracts would be a 'game-changer' for Scotland

Netball Scotland chief executive Claire Nelson has defended the national team's disappointing World Cup campaign and says professional contracts are needed to improve performance.

The Thistles failed to reach their top-eight target, but can still be "a force to be reckoned with" insists Nelson.

Scotland face Barbados on Saturday (09:00 BST) in an 11th place play-off.

"The game changer for us will be - can we create professional contracts for our players?" Nelson said.

"If you want to focus wholly on being an athlete, then we should be able to support that. That's something I feel very passionate about and I'm going to be working towards.

"What we need now is teams and clubs at local domestic level being invested in, so that we can get more people participating in our game."

Scotland have risen from 13th in the world to seventh since 2015, but questions remain over their progress from a 12th-place finish at the last World Cup four years ago.

Following a convincing opening win over Samoa, Gail Parata's side slumped to four consecutive defeats, ending any hope of reaching the top stage of the competition, before a draw with Trinidad and Tobago cost them a top-10 finish.

Nelson, though, claims Scotland are "one of the most exciting and fastest growing nations in global netball", and says setting a lofty target was a necessity despite the team going into the World Cup without a competitive match since last summer's Commonwealth Games.

"We had to put top eight. We have to stretch ourselves," she said. "So it was right for us to set that, but now we have to be realistic and look at where we are.

"The improvements we have made have been commented on by everyone in the sport.

"At a national level our players, with the average age of 24, give them a couple more years working together, competing in the Superleague and other strong domestic competition, and we will become that force to be reckoned with."

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