Inside the NPL

The Netball Performance League continues to provide vital opportunities for talented young athletes, with the culmination of this season’s league campaign – July’s three-day tournament – considered to be the most competitive yet

The Netball Performance League [NPL] has become a key feature in the domestic netball calendar.

Its aim is to provide the game’s outstanding youth players with a performance environment and to organise for them regular, highly disciplined and intense competition.

There are three age group classifications – Under 17s, 19s and 21s – with ten teams competing in each league across a full winter campaign, followed by an intense three-day tournament that was held at the David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham in late July to complete the season.

Showcasing the best young talent in the country, the standard was exceptional across the board, with Loughborough Lightning taking the titles at Under 19s and Under 21s level and Surrey Storm claiming the Under 17s trophy.

WINNER: Surrey Storm

RUNNER-UP: London Pulse

THIRD PLACE: Team Bath

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Ana De Wet (Team Bath)

Kicking off proceedings and claiming a one-goal victory in their opening match to Loughborough Lightning on the opening night, Surrey Storm’s Under 17s went on to dominate Saturday’s group stages with a 40-20 victory over Team Bath and two further wins across the day to Central Warriors and North East Phoenix, leading to them topping the table for Group B and securing a spot in Sunday’s semi-finals.

A strong 38-19 win over Manchester Thunder was all it took to catapult Storm into the U17 final, where an electric crowd saw Surrey Storm and London Pulse battle it out for 40 minutes, before Storm ultimately claimed the title 28-26, completing their undefeated run as champions.

With London Pulse taking second place, Team Bath claimed a final victory over Manchester Thunder to secure third place.

U19

WINNER: Loughborough Lightning

RUNNER-UP: London Pulse

THIRD PLACE: Saracens Mavericks

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Emily Pawlett

(Loughborough Lightning)

In the Under 19s competition, Loughborough Lightning got their title chase off to a flying start with a Friday night victory over Leeds Rhinos. A draw with London Pulse and a narrow loss to North East Phoenix on Saturday morning left the rest of the group stages wide open; however, a one-goal win over Surrey Storm secured Lightning a semi-final spot as they finished second in Group A.

Semi-finals rolled around and Lightning stepped up to face Mavericks, who were unable to find their groove, suffering defeat at the hands of the East Midlands powerhouse.

Just 40 minutes against London Pulse stood between Lightning and victory and in a nail-biting final, set to the soundtrack of roaring fans, Lightning eventually ran down the clock to claim a 31-28 victory. Just as with their U17 team, London Pulse had to settle for silver, with Mavericks claiming the bronze.

U21

WINNER: Loughborough Lightning

RUNNER-UP: Team Bath

THIRD PLACE: London Pulse

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Hannah Knightbridge

(London Pulse)

The U21s competition remained as fierce as ever in 2024 and with Future Roses and Netball Super League (NSL) capped athletes dotted around the squads, fans were in for a feast.

A huge 44-22 victory on Friday night saw Loughborough Lightning set off on the right track, although an early morning loss to London Pulse on Saturday left them with work to do.

Going on to turn the tables on Leeds Rhinos before claiming an emphatic 52-16 win over North East Phoenix, Loughborough Lightning – last year’s champions – eventually claimed a spot in the semi-finals against Manchester Thunder.

A mirror of this year’s NSL Grand Final, Lightning’s U21 side then stole the show, emulating their NSL counterparts to secure a commanding 46-30 win over the Mancunian giants.

Team Bath meanwhile beat London Pulse for one last run out in the final. Despite the opening half going goal for goal, a brilliant whole-squad performance in the third quarter saw Lightning push ahead over the blue and gold, eventually sealing the deal with a 38-23 win and claiming back-to-back titles.

London Pulse were named as bronze medallists – securing a strong overall showing across the three age groups – while Team Bath settled for runners up.