As our infographics feature here shows, you came to watch in your thousands, embracing the new competition and the new rules and innovations, supporting teams old and new, engaging with social media (the Women’s Sport Trust said the NSL enjoyed a 524% increase in TikTok views!), filling arenas and watching in record numbers on Sky Sports and BBC Sport. And with the League’s formidable female athletes continuing to push boundaries to deliver the highest quality of elite netball week in, week out, it’s no surprise that this season has proved to be a defining moment for our sport.
How the season played out
ROUND 1
Having already won the Super Cup, London Pulse started as they meant to go on by hitting the top of the table thanks to a controlled victory over newcomers Nottingham Forest. They were joined in opening night victory by NIC Leeds Rhinos, who got past the other new franchise Birmingham Panthers, and London Mavericks, who beat LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, while the marquee match-up of the round saw Loughborough Lightning overcome Thunder 66-52 in a rematch of last season’s Grand Final.
ROUND 2
Nottingham Forest earned their first win in their first ever home match as they beat LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 70-54, with Rolene Streutker scoring 12 of her side’s 13 Soft & Gentle Super Shots. Manchester Thunder also notched their first victory of the 2025 season with a 77-47 defeat of Birmingham Panthers, while Pulse defeated defending champions Loughborough Lightning in a statement 77-51 win and London Mavericks also made it two from two with a narrow victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos, Kira Rothwell using the Soft & Gentle Super Shot to her advantage as her side trailed by one with 16 seconds on the clock.
ROUND 3
London Pulse outclassed London Mavericks in the first London derby of the season to become the only team remaining undefeated in the season so far. Manchester Thunder moved into second with a ruthless 81-65 win over Nottingham Forest – with none other than Usain Bolt in the crowd – while defending champions Loughborough Lightning put their defeat to Pulse behind them with a composed win over NIC Leeds Rhinos. The match between LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons and Birmingham Panthers was abandoned in the second quarter after an injury to Leah Middleton. The game was rescheduled for a later date in the season, where Birmingham Panthers took home the three points after 62-56 win.
ROUND 4
Nottingham Forest claimed East Midlands bragging rights as they beat Loughborough Lightning in round four in a thriller, edging the match 73-71 at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. London Mavericks took elite netball to Brighton for the first time and also won a thrilling match, defeating Birmingham Panthers 69-68, who were still awaiting their first victory. Meanwhile, Manchester Thunder and London Pulse kept up their winning streaks of three and four respectively beating LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons and NIC Leeds Rhinos.
ROUND 5
London Mavericks brought Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten home streak to an end in round five with a 67-56 win to stay third in the table while Thunder relied on a late push to secure their 70-57 win against NIC Leeds Rhinos, having been just two goals up with eight minutes left. LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons could not come back against Loughborough Lightning despite a late surge and were still waiting for their first win of the season and Pulse maintained their perfect record and their three-point lead in the League as they beat Birmingham Panthers.
ROUND 6
Birmingham Panthers claimed their first win with an exhilarating 71-70 victory over Nottingham Forest. It was all Forest early on as they stormed to a 15-3 lead, but it was a case of down but never out for the home side. London Pulse, with a staggering three interceptions, six gains and 13 deflections from Funmi Fadoju, kept their perfect record with a 61-56 win over Manchester Thunder – just their second win in 11 meetings in this match-up – and Loughborough Lightning clinched victory over London Mavericks to fire them up the table. Elsewhere, NIC Leeds Rhinos beat LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 63-52.
ROUND 7
Nottingham Forest and Manchester Thunder clinched big wins in round seven, Loughborough Lightning beat Birmingham Panthers 72-68 in a tight game that saw the East Midlands take on the West Midlands and London Pulse downed LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons to make it a perfect seven. Forest moved within two points of the all-important top four with a brilliant 74-60 win over NIC Leeds Rhinos while Thunder moved second in the table with a hard-fought 59-54 victory over London Mavericks.
ROUND 8
Nottingham Forest sensationally ended Pulse’s unbeaten streak with a 69-59 win over the League leaders, Rolene Streuker’s deadeye prowess during the Soft & Gentle Super Shot proving the difference. Birmingham Panthers picked up their second win after a thrilling 71-69 extra-time defeat of NIC Leeds Rhinos, while second-placed Loughborough Lightning moved within two points of the top spot with a 65-53 defeat of Manchester Thunder. London Mavericks defeated LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 72-61 in another extra-time battle, Emma Thacker converting three successive Soft & Gentle Super Shots to seal the deal.
ROUND 9
LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons defeated Birmingham Panthers 61-57 to claim their first win of the season while London Pulse recovered from their shock defeat to Nottingham Forest with a derby win over London Mavericks to give them a season double. Loughborough Lightning, with their fifth successive win, beat NIC Leeds Rhinos 71-59 and Manchester Thunder kept up the charge with a 72-58 win over Nottingham Forest, increasing their chances of a top-four finish with five rounds of the regular season left.
ROUND 10
Loughborough Lightning inflicted London Pulse with their second defeat of the season to move level on points at the top of the League, winning 58-53 at the Copper Box, despite Olivia Tchine shooting at 97%. Elsewhere, Manchester Thunder kept up the pressure on the top two with a 67-61 victory over Birmingham Panthers at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool as they brought elite netball back to Liverpool for the first time since the 2019 Netball World Cup. London Mavericks and Nottingham Forest maintained their top-four chase with wins on the road, Mavericks beating NIC Leeds Rhinos 71-66 and Forest beating LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 77-53.
ROUND 11
Loughborough Lightning and London Pulse confirmed their spots in the Play-Offs with wins in round 11. Lightning beat LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 71-54 while Pulse defeated Birmingham Panthers 63-58. London Mavericks took a huge step forward in the battle for fourth as they beat Nottingham Forest 57-48, creating a six-point gap between the two teams, while Manchester Thunder took the northern bragging rights with a 69-55 victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos. Before Pulse’s match, England Thorns made history as they took on the Australian Kelpies in a curtain-raiser, going down 63-34.
ROUND 12
Emily Andrew showcased nerves of steel to sink a last-minute Soft & Gentle Super Shot as London Mavericks defeated Birmingham Panthers 69-67 to move one step closer to securing their top four place. Elsewhere, Manchester Thunder booked their tickets to the semi-finals with victory over LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons while Nottingham Forest kept their hopes alive with a second win of the season over East Midlands neighbours Loughborough Lightning. At the Copper Box, London Pulse made it back-to-back wins with a 73-50 victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos to move clear at the top of the table.
ROUND 13
The top four were set in round 13 after Birmingham Panthers did the double over Nottingham Forest with a comeback win to put paid to Forest’s Play-Off hopes. London Mavericks’ place in the semifinals was confirmed for the first time since 2016 despite defeat to Loughborough Lightning. Lightning’s victory in their special game celebrating Pride, as well as London Pulse’s 58-48 win over Manchester Thunder, ensured that those two would play in the Major Semi-Final. In a match-up where only pride was at stake, LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons came out on top against NIC Leeds Rhinos.
ROUND 14
London Pulse topped the Netball Super League regular season table thanks to a 67-44 victory away at LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons while Loughborough Lightning, who were beaten 67-58 away at Birmingham Panthers, finished second. Manchester Thunder warmed up for their Minor Semi-Final against London Mavericks with a 67-45 win over the same opponents at the OVO Arena, Wembley, while Nottingham Forest finished their inaugural season with a come-from-behind 80-61 triumph over NIC Leeds Rhinos, as netball legend Geva Mentor bowed out from the elite game, the 40-year-old calling time on her illustrious career after over two decades on court, including a Commonwealth Games gold, a Netball World Cup silver and two Netball Super League titles with Team Bath in 2006 and 2007.
MINOR SEMI-FINAL
Manchester Thunder eased to a 79-49 victory over London Mavericks to secure a meeting with Lightning in the Preliminary Final. Goal attack Elmeré van der Berg led the way with 46 goals in a game that saw each side sink an impressive 11 Soft & Gentle Super Shots.
MAJOR SEMI-FINAL
London Pulse reached the Grand Final with a thrilling 50-49 Major Semi-Final victory over Lightning. Pulse fought back from a six-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to take victory in one of the most absorbing Play-Off contests the League has seen. Olivia Tchine held her nerve for Pulse with a trio of decisive Soft & Gentle Super Shots in the final five minutes to turn the game on its head and send her side to The O2.
PRELIMINARY FINAL
In a rematch of last year’s Grand Final, Loughborough Lightning booked their spot to face London Pulse in the Netball Super League Grand Final after a 69-57 win against Manchester Thunder. Thunder led 19-12 after the first quarter but Lightning were imperious from then on, Trinidad and Tobago shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph converting five Soft & Gentle Super Shots during the second quarter to help Lightning into a 37-30 lead at half-time.
The season’s stats
MOST GOALS:
Rolene Streutker
Nottingham Forest
598
MOST FEEDS:
Bethan Dyke
LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons
465
MOST SOFT & GENTLE SUPER SHOTS:
Rolene Streutker
Nottingham Forest
157
MOST DEFLECTIONS:
Funmi Fadoju
London Pulse
120