2024 has been a landmark year for EMMNA, filled with incredible milestones, historic achievements, and growth across all levels of men’s and mixed netball. Here’s a look back at what we’ve accomplished together:
National Programme: Thorns & Trailblazers
Camps and Fixtures:
A total of 27 Thorns & Trailblazer performance camps and 12 fixtures were held throughout the year (including matches against the England Roses and Wales Feathers), providing vital preparation and matchplay opportunities.
International Tours:
England Thorns: A historic tour to St Kitts & Nevis in September, placing 2nd out of 8 nations from the Americas region and achieving the Thorns’ first-ever international wins.
England Trailblazers: A groundbreaking December tour to Singapore, securing 3rd place out of 6 nations and achieving their first-ever international wins. Young 16-year-old Aidan McHenry was named Player of the Tournament.
Player Selections:
28 players selected for the England Thorns programme. 7 players receiving their first international cap.
20 players selected for the England Trailblazers programme.
15 players selected for the first England U19s Trailblazers team.
Flyhawk continues as the official EMMNA National Programme Kit Sponsor.
Competitions and Events
EMMNA National League:
The inaugural EMMNA league was launched in 2024, featuring 29 teams across 5 divisions.
EMMNA National Championships:
Held at Loughborough University, the championship featured 44 teams, 162 games, and 42 officials competing over three days. Teams from Netball France and Netball America also participated, showcasing the sport's growing international reach. All captured by 3 amazing photographers.
Netball UK - Primary Event Sponsor
Stunts Netball were crowned Netball UK National Mixed Champions.
London Giants were crowned Netball UK National Men’s Champions.
University Cup:
In partnership with BUCS, the University Cup crowned the University of Warwick as champions.
Youth Development:
Youth camp was run in partnership with the Northern Titans, fostering the next generation of netball talent.
NSL Collaboration:
Six NSL teams have included male training partners for the upcoming 2025 season, further embedding men’s netball into elite competition.
Manchester Thunder Men's & Mixed Netball launched in partnership with Spartans NC.
Membership and Social Media Growth
EMMNA Membership numbers increased by an incredible 50% in 2024.
Social Media Highlights:
Instagram: 2.1M views, 4.7M reach, with 2.8k new followers this year.
Facebook: 350k views, 1.2M reach, with 1.9k new followers this year.
Best Performing Post: 388k views and 2.1k likes (Instagram: St Kitts & Nevis, 7th September).
Norfolk United awarded the inaugural EMMNA Club of the Year Award.
Acknowledgements and Looking Ahead
EMMNA remains unfunded and is run by a dedicated group of volunteers whose passion and hard work continue to drive the sport forward. Across the organisation, the number of hours invested by volunteers is truly extraordinary. None of the achievements outlined above would have been possible without their commitment to growing the sport of netball.
As we look to 2025, we are excited for:
The first-ever Men’s Winter Championship, 1st February.
A bigger and better National League and National Championships.
2025 National Mixed Fast 5s Cup.
The creation of the U17 Trailblazers and Thorns A.
Hosting a home international series (opponents TBA).
An exciting restructure of EMMNA following the AGM, set for early 2025.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. Here’s to an even more exciting 2025!
Ryan Allan
EMMNA Chair
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