Hello and welcome to a special NSL edition of 5TH QTR magazine.
I can hardly believe that we are here at the end of the first year of the new era of the Netball Super League, and what a way to end the season! After a huge amount of hard work from our Clubs, players, officials, staff, partners and volunteers, we delivered an incredible season finale in front of record-breaking crowds at The O2, showing everyone watching exactly what the NSL is all about.
A huge congratulations must go to London Pulse who we saw crowned champions at The O2, picking up the Club’s maiden NSL title in spectacular fashion. After an outstanding season which saw them win the first ever Netball Super Cup back in March and top the League table at the end of the regular season, Pulse’s victory is an incredible feat that all involved with the Club should be so proud of.
And, to Loughborough Lightning who just didn’t quite have enough to get over the line in the capital, thank you for helping us to put on the most incredible show. We put netball on the ultimate stage and both teams showed up on the day demonstrating exactly why our sport deserves this platform.
I want to say another thank you to our wonderful partners, without whose support, yesterday would not have been possible, and to our amazing umpires, technical officials and volunteers who work so hard and travel long distances week in, week out to make our game happen. Thank you to you all for continuing to drive the growth of our game with relentless passion and dedication.
Sitting in the crowd at our biggest ever Grand Final at The O2 filled me with so much pride for our League, our Clubs, our formidable players, and our Netball Family, who have all played such an important role in the successes we’ve seen over the past year and so I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to every single netball fan. We asked you to show up for our sport just when it needed us most, and you have done that tirelessly throughout the season with more of you than ever before attending a live game or watching on Sky Sports and BBC Sport. Thank you for continuing to support our sport with such incredible passion, bringing energy to the sidelines in bright club colours and giving your unrelenting support to our athletes. This year has demonstrated the indisputable power of women both on and beyond the court, and I cannot wait to see where we can go together from here.
Claire Nelson
Managing Director of Netball Super League