The 39-year-old former player joins the national setup having left her role as head coach of Team Bath Netball in January.

Thirlby has a tough act to follow after England enjoyed unprecedented success during Neville's four-year stint at the helm.

England won their first Commonwealth Games title in Gold Coast last year and claimed bronze at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool earlier this month.

The Roses also reached a best ranking of second on the International Netball Federation standings.

"It is an absolute honour and privilege to be appointed as head coach," Thirlby said.

"I have a huge amount of respect for Tracey, the Roses and the team behind them that have led this wonderful sport to where it is today. 

"This is a great time to be taking on the role as we head into netball‘s exciting next chapter. 

"My focus will be to harness and build upon the momentum and solid foundation gained over the past four years."

Thirlby represented her country from 1991 to 2006 before moving into a coaching role with the Celtic Dragons.

She had already coached at England under-17 and under-19 level in 2004 and 2005.

Thirlby held the position of England under-21 head and assistant coach at two World Youth Cups before working as both an assistant and technical coach with the senior England team from 2013 to 2015.

"I expect the look and feel of the team to change as some players may begin to consider hanging up their netball trainers following the Vitality Netball World Cup, but I am excited to invest in and develop the amazing new talent that is coming through," she said.

"We‘ve had phenomenal national support and wide coverage of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, which can only strengthen our focus and resolve as we set our sights on the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, another major event on home soil."

England Netball chief executive Joanna Adams said Thirlby's "thorough understanding of the elite netball landscape" and her experience of working with some of the players made her the perfect fit for the position.

"Tracey did a fantastic job of growing this sport during her time as head coach, she will be missed but I know Jess will do a phenomenal job at continuing to build on the Roses’ legacy and developing our up and coming players into world-class athletes," Adams added.