2025 National Championships Review

The Biggest and Best Yet

A little over a month on from the 2025 National Championships and it feels almost a bit cliche to say it was our biggest and best Nationals to date. But the fact is, it was.

With an additional 2 teams added to the mixed netball category, 2025 saw more players than ever before take centre stage and demonstrate yet again how the men's and mixed netball scene has grown over the last 12 months.

We were thrilled to have the support of the UK’s leading and largest independent netball retailer, Netball UK, for a second year running, in what was truly a celebration of shared commitment to our glorious sport.

International Flair and Viral Moments

Once again we were treated to some international flair in the shape of World Male Strikers and Dubai Oryx; the former who put on a masterful display to make it to the grand final, the latter who went viral on social media for a spectacular ‘Harrison Hoist’ that captured the eyes (and opinions!) of millions of people.

Not only was 2025 our biggest display to date, it was also our grandest. For the first time ever, we had the sheer joy of performing on the Loughborough Lightning show court for the final day of the competition. In what felt like somewhat of a full circle moment, it was incredible to see a fit-to-burst Sir David Wallace arena, packed to the rafters with fans of the game; a clear indication that men's and mixed netball is here and isn't going anywhere.

Day 1: Strong Starts and Close Calls

The first day of the competition delivered both close margins and confident victories. Last year’s runners up in Leeds Fury started their campaign strong with a resounding first victory 40-6 over Henley Hawks, only to then fall short against 2025’s dark horse, 5th Quarter, by just 2 goals. Our first draw of the tournament came through MK Dons and Norfolk United, closing out the game 26 goals apiece in what can only be classed as a spicy affair. In the men’s category, eventual runner’s up Manchester Thunder set their intentions early conquering Newcastle Vikings 43-10, and 2024’s men’s champions London Giants had a stupendous start to their title defence, only letting in 16 goals across their first 3 fixtures.

Day 2: The Competition Heats Up

Day 2 delivered more drama, more heat, and even more excitement. Stunts OG’s kept their dreams of defending their maiden mixed title alive with 3 straight wins, but ultimately faltered in the semi-final against eventual 2025 winners Knights Swords on day 3. A mixed bag of results for Northern Titans in the men’s category saw 2 wins and 2 losses, including a crucial prelim final loss to Knights. Speaking of Knights, they put out one of the games of the tournament against our international invitees in World Male Strikers ending in a dramatic draw 24-24. Day 2 concluded with confirmation of our semi-finals. For the men: Giants vs Knights and World Male Strikes vs Manchester Thunder. For mixed: Leeds Fury vs Giants Blaze and Knights Swords vs Stunts OG’s.

Day 3: Crunch Time

On day 3, prior to the business end of the competition, there was still plenty more action to feast upon. Kraken Netball took a narrow win over Manchester Thunder Mixed to book themselves a spot in the 9th/10th playoff where they eventually overpowered Henley Fire by a solitary goal 19-18. Surrey Hurricanes put on an exquisite performance over local rivals Thames Mavericks to secure their final placing of 7th - one better than last year’s finish. Norfolk United Men finished their campaign strong, overcoming our viral social media stars Dubai Oryx, and Unicorns Netball showed their ability to dig deep with an exhilarating 1 goal win over Thames Mavericks 2. Then came time for the semi-finals.

Semi-Finals: Rivalries and Drama

Finals netball never disappoints. Crunch time, do-or-die moment, the final hurdle… whatever you call it, it always packs a punch, and 2025 Nationals was no exception. In the Men’s category, semi-final 1 was the iconic London derby, the original men's netball rivalry: London Giants vs Knights Netball. It was the repeat of the 2024 Grand Final in both the match up and the result with London Giants reigning supreme 26-16. After booking themselves a spot in the 2025 final, Giants’ attention turned to the second men’s semi-final to discover who would be their eventual opponents: World Male Strikes vs Manchester Thunder.

With the prospect of their second ever grand final appearance on the horizon, Manchester Thunder (previously known as Spartans when they made their 2023 grand final showing) gave their absolute all in what was one of the most delectable and fierce games of netball we saw all tournament. It was heartbreak for the Northerners as World Male Strikers did them dirty with a buzzer-beating long-bomb that delighted the neutrals in the crowd. At the hands of the men’s WA of the tournament, Richard Hendricks (who many will know and love from the Jamaican Suns national team), Thunder’s hopes were decidedly dashed in a 28-27 defeat, and it set us up for a scintillating and, quite frankly, mouth-watering men’s Grand Final: London Giants vs World Male Strikers.

In the semi-finals for the Mixed category, first up was last year’s runners up Leeds Fury against Giants Blaze. Fury by name and fury by nature, they blazed their way (pun intended, sorry Giants) into the grand final 23-20, their hopes of correcting the result from 2024 still burning. The second semi-final saw 2-time champions Knights Swords face off against reigning champs Stunts OG’s. With Stunts tipped by many to be favourites of the competition with a stacked squad featuring numerous National and NXT Gen representatives, it was an edge-of-your-seat 32 minutes for netball fans everywhere with Knights Swords ultimately showing both their class and depth to book their spot in the final 27-24. Stunts’ dreams of going back-to-back, shattered. So the stage was set: Leeds Fury vs Knights Swords.

Finals Day: The Grand Stage

With not an empty seat in sight, with banners and flags a-plenty, we geared ourselves up for one heck of a showcase. Yes, the athletes may have had 3 days of tournament netball already under their belts (with the blisters, sores, and bruises to prove it), but the finals were full 60-minute fixtures. Internal cries from the athletes aside, the 1,000-strong crowd settled in for a show.

First up, the Men’s Grand Final. You could have been mistaken for thinking this was an England vs Jamaica international fixture - England Thorns Ky Lewis, Tommy Wiseman, Taiwo Aliu and Jared Bleakley dazzled, while Jamaican Suns Kurt Dale and Richard Hendricks (just 2 of many internationals for Strikers representing a total of 4 national sides) ran the show in attack. It was an arm wrestle from start to finish with massive swings in momentum, a few stern words from the umpires, and goals and intercepts galore. For Giants, Aidan McHenry, the 16-year-old superstar, showed the world just what a bright future he has ahead of him. Despite taking some heavy hits, he commanded the court with a sophistication well beyond his years. For Strikers, Kurt Dale put up the fight of his life, stringing the creative and dynamic attacking end together like a master tailor crafting a red carpet suit. In a fourth quarter surge, London Giants retained their crown, winning 47-42 and boasting their fourth Men’s title in 5 years. No mean feat.

The final course of our sumptuous netball feast was the Mixed Grand Final. Leeds Fury, desperate to right the wrongs of 2024, taking on 2-time champions in Knights Swords. Both sides had an embarrassment of riches in their squad, with notable standouts in England Thorn James McClelland, Leeds Rhinos NXT Gen shooter Caitlin Sharkey and the dynamo of Jazae Johnson for Leeds Fury. For Knights, the duo of London Pulse NXT Gen stars Isla May and Eliza Barclay ruled the roost, with a strong impact across multiple positions from England Thorn Chris Green. As the minutes ticked by, Leeds Fury’s attack end struggled with the strength of Knights’ defence, exposing some inexperience on the bench. That being said, the likes of Eisley Swaine (who, believe it or not, had only started playing netball just a few months prior to the Championships!?) showed great promise and will no doubt shine in 2026. Despite their best effort, it was a silver medal for the second year on the trot for Fury as Knights Netball regained their netball crown in what ended up being a confident 13-goal victory, 53-40. From the first whistle to the last, they owned every third of the court, proving once again - along with London Giants Men - that London is a powerhouse in the mixed and men’s netball world.

Reflections and Reactions

So there we have it. Over 170 games, it all boiled down to our 2 champions. London Giants. Knights Swords.

For Knights, there was one person in particular for whom the victory tasted just that little bit sweeter. Lewis Keeling, co-founder of Knights Netball and playing in the mixed competition for the first time, whilst also making a triumphant return to elite netball following an ACL injury, said this:

“I can’t speak for everyone but the wave of positivity across the sport seems to be huge following nationals. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to play mixed this year for the first time, although I had a good feel for the mixed tournament prior to its opening day. The level of play of so many teams was absolutely class to see. Knights Swords could very well have been knocked out in the championship groups instead of progressing through to the final and that’s a testament to the level of competition across the board. As ever, Nationals blues hit super hard after the tournament, but with a few friendlies now in the calendar and chat around the leagues planning for the new year starting up again, there’s a renewed buzz in the air. Time to go again for the 2026 season, bring it on!”

If there’s one thing to take away from this year’s tournament, it's that Men’s and Mixed netball is here to stay and its appeal is growing year on year.

A huge thank you to everyone behind the scenes who gave countless hours and endless energy into making 2025 so spectacular. From umpires, scorers, coaches, volunteers and media to the brains trust of Nationals, Ryan Allan and Hannah Lord, your contributions do not go unnoticed.

2026, It’s going to be huge.

Men’s GFI Team of the Tournament

GS - Ky Lewis (London Giants)

GA - James Firminger (Manchester Thunder)

WA - Richard Hendricks (World Male Strikers)

C - Aidan McHenry (London Giants)

WD - Max Webb (Norfolk United)

GD - Jamal Nicholson (Manchester Thunder)

GK - Martyn Nantongwe (Norfolk United)

Flyhawk Men’s Player of the Tournament: Jamal Nicholson (Manchester Thunder)

Mixed GFI Team of the Tournament

GS - Caitlin Sharkey (Leeds Fury)

GA - Paul Ireland (Kraken)

WA - Darcy Griffin (Knights Netball)

C - Jada Autumn (London Giants

)WD - Manish Manoj (Surrey Hurricanes)

GD - Ben Leighton (Kraken)

GK - Jason Somers (5th Quarter)

Flyhawk Mixed Player of the Tournament: Ben Leighton (Kraken)

Final Standings

Men’s

1st – London Giants

Finalists – World Male Strikers

2nd – Manchester Thunder

3rd – Knights

4th – Highland Fever

5th – Northern Titans

6th – Norfolk United

7th - Dubai Oryx

8th – Thames Mavericks

9th – West Cheshire Warriors

10th – Giants Royal

11th – Edinburgh Kelpies

12th – Henley Hawks

13th – Newcastle Vikings

Mixed

1st – Knights Swords

2nd – Leeds Fury

3rd – Stunts OG’s

4th – Giants Blaze

5th – 5th Quarter

6th – Stunts Double

7th – Surrey Hurricanes

8th – Thames Mavericks 1

9th – Kraken Netball

10th – Henley Fire

11th – Manchester Thunder

12th – Knights Shields

13th – Northern Steel

14th – Norfolk United

15th – Devon Dynamites

16th – Highland Fever

17th – Northants Storm

18th – Army Mixed

19th – Unknown 7

20th – Warwick University

21st – Worcester Royals

22nd – Bandits

23rd – Giants Inferno

24th – West Cheshire Warriors

25th – MK Dons

26th – Phoenix

27th – Unicorns

28th – Thames Mavericks 2

29th – Henley Hawks

30th – East Midlands Tornadoes

31st – Edinburgh Kelpies

32nd – Dominoes