Loughborough Lightning (netball)

Loughborough Lightning
Full nameLoughborough Students Netball Club
Nickname(s)Lightning
Based inLoughborough University
RegionsEast Midlands
Home venueSir David Wallace Sports Centre
Loughborough University
Head coachVic Burgess
LeagueNetball Superleague
Websitewww.lboro.ac.uk

Uniform

Loughborough Lightning is an English netball team based at Loughborough University. Their senior team plays in the Netball Superleague. In 2005–06 they were founder members of the league. They also enter under-19 and under-21 teams in the National Performance League. Using the name Loughborough Students, Loughborough University also enter teams in intervarsity leagues organised by British Universities and Colleges Sport.[1][2] Together with the women's cricket team, the women's rugby union team, the women's cycling team, the women's football team and the women's wheelchair basketball team, the netball team is one of five women's sports teams based at Loughborough University that use the Loughborough Lightning name.[3]

History

In 2005 Loughborough Lightning were named as the East Midlands franchise in the new Netball Superleague. Together with Brunel Hurricanes, Celtic Dragons, Leeds Carnegie, Galleria Mavericks, Northern Thunder, Team Bath and Team Northumbria, Lightning were founder members of the league.[1][4]

Senior finals

Netball Superleague Grand Finals

Loughborough Lightning made their Netball Superleague Grand Final debut in 2007–08.[5][6]

Season Winners Score Runners up Venue
2007–08[5][6] Galleria Mavericks 43–39 Loughborough Lightning K2 Leisure Centre
2017[7][8] Wasps Netball 55–51 Loughborough Lightning Barclaycard Arena
2018[9][10] Wasps Netball 55–51 Loughborough Lightning Copper Box Arena
2021[11] Loughborough Lightning 49–32 Team Bath Copper Box Arena
2022 Manchester Thunder 60–53 Loughborough Lightning Copper Box Arena
2023 Loughborough Lightning 57–48 London Pulse Copper Box Arena

Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship

In 2017 Loughborough Lightning won the inaugural British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship.[12]

Season Winners Score Runners up Venue
2017 [12] Loughborough Lightning 35–33 Team Bath The O2 Arena
2019 [13][14] Loughborough Lightning 61–35 Wasps Netball Copper Box Arena

Home venue

Loughborough Lightning play their home games at the Sir David Wallace Sports Centre at Loughborough University.[15][16]

Notable players

2025 squad

2025 Loughborough Lightning roster
Players Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height
England Beth Cobden WD, C, GD 3 February 1993 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
England Alice Harvey GK, GD 3 April 2001 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
England Hannah Joseph WA, C 8 February 1994 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
England Natalie Panagarry (c) C, WD 27 December 1990 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
England Ella Clark GA, GS 8 February 1992 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
England Jodie Gibson GD, GK 30 October 1992 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
England Bella Baylis C, WA 5 November 2003 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
South Africa Shadine van der Merwe GD, WD, GK 25 November 1992 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
England Berri Neil GA, GS 12 February 2003 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Trinidad and Tobago Samantha Wallace (netball) GS 16 January 1994 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Head coach
  • Vic Burgess


Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  • Injured or on maternity leave – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website Last updated: 26 October 2024

Internationals

 England
 Northern Ireland
 Jamaica
 Scotland
 South Africa
 Uganda
 Wales
  • Rebecca James
 Zimbabwe

Source:[2][17][18]

Head coaches

Coach Years
New Zealand Margaret Foster[19][20] 2013–2014
England Karen Atkinson[20][21][22][23] 2014–2017
England Anna Carter [24] 2017–2018
England Sara Bayman[25][26] 2018–

Honours

Sponsorship

In February 2023, clothing retailer Long Tall Sally were confirmed as the team's headline sponsor for the 2023 Netball Superleague season.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b "About Us". www.lboro.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Performance netball". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Loughborough Lightning". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  4. ^ Dr. Louise Mansfield & Dr. Lara Killick (1 January 2012). "The UK Netball Superleague: A Case Study of Franchising in Elite Women's Sport" (PDF). Brunel University, School of Sport and Education, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK; and University of the Pacific, Department of Health, Exercise and Sport Science, Stockton, CA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Third time lucky for magnificent Mavericks". www.whtimes.co.uk. 6 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Mavericks win Netball Superleague final". www.sportsister.com. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Netball Superleague: Wasps beat Loughborough Lightning in Grand Final". www.bbc.co.uk. 11 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Wasps Netball beat Loughborough Lightning in Netball Superleague Grand Final". www.skysports.com. 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Wasps beat Loughborough Lightning to claim back-to-back Netball Superleague titles". www.skysports.com. 7 July 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Superleague Grand Final: Wasps 55-51 Loughborough". www.bbc.co.uk. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Netball Superleague 2021: Loughborough Lightning beat Team Bath in final". www.bbc.co.uk. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Lightning crowned British Fast5 All-Stars Champions". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Loughborough Lightning Netball are crowned 2019 Fast 5 All-Star Champions". www.lboro.ac.uk. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Jo Harten shoots Loughborough Lightning to British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship title". www.bbc.co.uk. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Loughborough Lightning". www.netballsl.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Sports Halls". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Loughborough Netballers get set to compete on World Stage". www.lboro.ac.uk. 11 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Nine Loughborough netballers selected for Commonwealth Games". www.lboro.ac.uk. 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  19. ^ "New Zealand coach appointed to begin new era for Loughborough Lightning". www.lboro.ac.uk. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Karen Atkinson named Loughborough Lightning coach". www.bbc.co.uk. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  21. ^ "A Lightning return for new head coach Karen Atkinson". www.lboro.ac.uk. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Karen Atkinson: Loughborough Lightning head coach to step down". www.bbc.co.uk. 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Atkinson to step down as Loughborough Lightning Netball Head Coach". www.lboro.ac.uk. 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Carter to step down from Director of Netball position at the end of the season". www.lboro.ac.uk. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Loughborough Lightning appoint Bayman as new Director of Netball". www.lboro.ac.uk. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  26. ^ "Lightning Netball confirm coaching line-up for 2019". www.lboro.ac.uk. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  27. ^ "Peterborough fashion retailer Long Tall Sally gives its support to leading netball team". peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 14 February 2023.