Stratford Thunderbird U16 qualified once again for the England Netball National Clubs 2023 Finals, undefeated West Midlands Regional winners for the second year in a row.

The squad, coaches, volunteers and parents travelled to the Joan Brown Arena at the Redbridge Leisure Centre in Ilford on the 29th April for two days of fast-paced netball action amongst the top clubs in the country.

It wasn’t going to be easy in a season where injury had struck the team captain in the final regional game, meaning she could only lead from the bench for the whole weekend.

It was a slow start on Saturday losing our opening two games against Leeds Athletic (25-15) and KCNC (20-10). This reflected the high standard of competition and perhaps a few nerves on the part of a young team.

The second phase of the competition in the afternoon was a different story. Inspired by a lunchtime team talk from coaches Molly and Kelly, the girls looked a lot more like the team we’d seen throughout the regionals. A win against Charnwood Rutland (21-17) set the standard and it was followed by a very close game against the ultimate winners of the competition YWCA Bury with the 26-23 scoreline by far the closest any team came to beating them on the day. It raised a few eyebrows too – how could a team this good have lost two games in the morning?!

At the end of day one we were guaranteed a place in the top 12 from the pool of 18.

After a superbly-planned and executed meal out the girls were all in bed at a sensible time (thanks coach Kelly for reminding us parents when to go to sleep!) and enjoyed a decent hotel breakfast ready to go again.

On the second day, Showcasing the coveted pink and blue competition dresses which debuted last year, the girls played out two hard-fought games in the morning, the first a narrow defeat to Kingston Phoenix (25-24) following a strong comeback in the face of adveristy and secondly to AP Saints (22-16).  This set up a match against Sutton Town in the playoff for 11/12 position.

The final match of the competition played out as per our previous two matches against Sutton Town this season, with a win for Thunderbirds sealing 11th place.

All in all another performance to be hugely proud of. With our team captain confined to the bench and losing two more players to injury during proceedings, achieving 11th spot from an initial field of over 100 teams is an outstanding result of which everyone should be enormously proud.

Congratulations to all involved and see you again next year!

What an amazing weekend at the England Netball National Clubs U16 Finals!

In our first appearance at the event the Thunderbirds U16 Competition Squad stormed to a fourth place finish in a prestigious field of the 18 top teams from around the country. Our journey included a well-deserved victory against the reigning champions – Oldham – ensuring we well and truly made our mark.

The competition started on Saturday with a wake-up call, losing 31-18 to a talented Eagles side who were ultimately runners-up. Thunderbirds rallied with wins against Telstars (36-11) and Poole (31-13) finishing the day with a hard-fought win against Hatfield (25-21) which guaranteed a top-six finish.

After a fun meal together and a restful night the team met again at breakfast (nice move from the team managers booking almost every table in the restaurant!) before heading to the venue for day two.

Thunderbirds were drawn against two of the strongest sides in the competition, Bury and Oldham, who fought it out in the first game in the group with Bury coming out on top.

Looking amazing in the new competition kit (with matching ribbons) Thunderbirds then faced Oldham, showcasing our strength and talent right until the last minute to come away with a 24-21 victory. Our final game in the group was against the eventual winners Bury, losing 30-16 but no matter, we were guaranteed a place in the top 4!

Our final match was a third/fourth place play-off against Turnford. It could have gone either way with just two goals separating the sides at times, however Turnford triumphed with some great play and our girls tired after a very challenging weekend.

All-in-all a fabulous outcome, a fantastic experience for the squad and a great way for Thunderbirds to announce their presence on the national stage.

Congratulations to all the other teams, the winners Bury and thanks to the organisers for a great event. It was also fun to set aside local rivalry with the other Midlands representative Parkside, cheering one another on and ultimately celebrating great results for both teams.

We were delighted to receive a Magic Little Grant of £500 to support the training of a number of our girls as umpires. Several have now passed England Netball’s Into Officiating Course, the first step on the officiating pathway.

The Magic Little Grants are provided through the partnership between Localgiving and the Postcode Community Trust. The Postcode Community Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Localgiving is the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community groups.

Thank you!

In spite of another challenging year in 2021, we’ve enjoyed lots of court time, some great successes and continued growth as a club.

Record numbers of our girls have achieved franchise places with the club strongly represented at at Loughborough Lightning, Wasps and Severn Stars. Several of our girls represented those franchises at the 2021 U15 School Games, others are in the U17 NPL competition squads and one has even been selected for the England Roses academy. Congratulations to all those involved.

First and foremost every single one of our players should be proud that they have proved to be dedicated, resilient and most of all great Netballers.  You’re all stars!

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2022 with lots of competitions, time on court and most of all fun!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at the club. Have a peaceful break, in 2022 we go again!