Eagles fly high at National Clubs Finals

The 2025 Under 16 National Clubs Finals, in association with the British Army, took place at the David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham on 4-5 May, the competition seeing some of the best up-and-coming young netballers from the top 18 teams nationwide go head-to-head.

All had successfully navigated their respective regional competitions to qualify for the National Finals, where they were initially grouped by their finishing place within their region, with six sections in all, each one containing a winner and two runners-up or vice versa.

For parts two and three of the competition, teams were regrouped according to their placing within their respective groups. The final stage saw matches played out to decide the final standings, including the semi-finals and final.

Eagles were ultimately crowned champions, the South regional winners finishing undefeated – an incredible feat – to claim the title.

They started with a dominant 37-9 victory over TTNC Warriors and followed that up with a commanding 37-8 win against Herts Dynamos, topping their group with ease. In stage two, they continued to dominate, with backto-back victories over Sheffield Steel (12-36) and Grangetown (32-11).

On the second day, they showed no signs of slowing up and kept their perfect record intact, overcoming eventual bronze medal winners Bramhall (12-46) and AP Saints (14-34).

Having finished fifth last year, their performances set up a showdown with last year’s bronze medallists Kingsway Power – marshalled by NIC Leeds Rhinos Head Coach Lauren Palmer – the North West regional winners also making the final with a perfect record.

Roared on by their fans, both sides gave it their all, but it was Eagles who proved the stronger with a narrow 23-27 victory. In the third-place play-off, Bramhall triumphed over Aces in a nail-biting 23-24 contest.

At the presentation ceremony, Kingsway Power’s Lois Cowin was named the Most Valuable Player, having impressed with her consistent performances at GS over the weekend. Future Rose Izzi Phillips and England Netball President Joan Mills were on hand to present the trophy.

A number of England Netball partners were in attendance at the event, with many supplying essential equipment and resources. Principal partners the British Army were in attendance throughout the weekend engaging with players and sharing information about the important work they do in the community as well as providing fun challenges for players to get involved with between matches.

Physique Management provided an England Netball-approved first aid kit for the winning team along with other prizes. Perform Better provided warm-up bikes for participants to use at the tournament, while Gilbert supplied the match balls.

In addition, Collection Cosmetics supplied product samples and Here We Flo provided period products in toilets at the venue. Finally, attendees were able to find out about SportsTours netball tours with leaflets available at the event.